


Crashing Waves

by Hannah_Shark



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Adult Themes, Angst, Anti-Hero/Heroin, Anxiety, Coping Mechanisms, Drinking, F/M, Gen, Homebodies, Loneliness, Morally Grey, NSFW in later chapters, Not the protag, Original Character - Freeform, Smoking, Violence, Ya boi needs love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:41:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23089528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannah_Shark/pseuds/Hannah_Shark
Summary: It's been roughly a year since the Ultra Space incident happened at the Aether foundation. The Champion, 'Moon', has earned her title and defends it regularly, Lillie is staying with Kukui and Burnett and Gladion even pops in to check on her now and then. Hau is off, wherever, probably stuffing his face with Malasadas. Guzma initially refused to take Hala's offer to train him and has been wandering the streets, trying to stay out of peoples way, avoid 'Plumes' and worst of all, his parents.So when an unfortunate circumstance has him meeting the former Champion of the Johto region who has moved to Alola to get some RnR, things might heat up a bit? Hana, is anything but a flower below the surface, having a troubled past herself. Perhaps they can find something in common.Troublesome chapters will have warnings.
Relationships: Grimsley / Original Female Character, Guzma (Pokemon)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Black and Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter titles are subject to change, I'm still not happy with them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, Violence.

The trip had been mostly peaceful, the long cruise to bring Hana across the ocean was smooth. Well, that young Rich Boy thought he was just as smooth, inviting her up to see his personal suite on the top floor. However when Hana told him, in her own special way, that she would rather ride with the cargo, the look on his face was far too enjoyable.  
  
With her savings from chasing the Unovan Championship over and over again, Hana had enough cash to pay for her own fancy suite on the top floor. Not that she wanted the attention, moving to Alola hadn't been about flashing cash around or even enjoying a holiday. She had decided to move here to get away from it all, far away from her history.  
  
The four Islands that spanned the region were supposedly full of new and intriguing Pokémon, happy smiling faces and a wealth of surf and sand. A middle-aged woman had even responded overwhelmingly happily about seeing Hana's name on the application for the apartment Hana wanted to rent in Hau'oli City.  
  
It was perfect, small with plenty of amenities, a balcony overlooking the nicest part of the beach and was close to the shopping district.  
  
Samuel Oak even called when he heard of her relocation plans (how did the old man always seem to know everything?) and told her that his twin brother Samson lived in Alola and would be happy to show her around. Sam and Sam, she huffed, Kantonians were known for their ridiculous naming conventions but this one took the cake.  
  
The weather on the trip over had gotten exceedingly too hot for comfort, having been advised by 'Grimby' that she should wear something loose and flowy, to pick up some sandals and even a straw hat to keep the sun out of her eyes. Hana bemoaned the idea of dressing like a regular tourist, but as they neared their destination she found that it was a necessity, finally donning a patterned, light blue floral dress that hung down almost to her ankles, a thin yellow cardigan and fixing her long black hair under the hat. The view in the mirror was certainly a sight to behold, her brown eyes wide with shock at the stranger staring back. She looked just like everyone else.  
  
Hana was on autopilot, her stomach strangely absent of the usual twisting and writhing that came with arriving in a new region. Perhaps she had finally outgrown it, she thought as she packed away her things in her small suitcase and reached into her purse for a glittery Pokéball.  
  
"Hey Babydoll, I'll let you out once we're on dry land, okay?" She smiled at the ball, her Leafeon had tried to keep her company on the several week long journey, but when Hana found her retching into the carpet of her tiny suite, she decided it was time to put her away.  
  
It wasn't fair for Dolly to suffer sea-sickness and have no idea why her belly felt so foul.  
  
A short walk later, Hana handed her papers over to the worker in the cargo hold. She had waited until the other passengers had excitedly disembarked, shooting that rich boy a smug look as he passed. The worker smiled and gave her a nod, finding the truck that contained her belongings and starting it up. Hana didn't drive, so as he pulled up to the exit she climbed into the passenger seat and placed her purse on her lap.  
  
The drive was relatively short as he asked the usual polite questions, why had she chosen Alola, where she was originally from, if she planned on living here permanently. Hana gave him non-committal answers such as 'Just for some peace and quiet', 'Johto' and 'I guess I'll have to see how I like it.'  
  
When they pulled up outside her new place it was late in the afternoon, almost five o' clock.  
  
"I can help you with the boxes if you like? It's only a small load..." He offered politely.  
  
"Oh no that's fine, if you can just get the back open my Pokémon can take it from here." She smiled earnestly, just wanting the whole ordeal to be over. People asked too many questions and knew too much of her business already.  
  
Hana tossed out a dark blue ball and two shimmering, luxurious balls calling for Li, Mei-Lin and Bandit. When the soft blue light dispersed, a tall, blue skinned and Gi wearing fighting type Pokémon stood proudly, bowing to the young man and his master.  
  
The next was a small, perky, white and lavender furred weasel with a twitchy nose and long arms ending in what looked like sleeves. She stepped forward on her back legs to sniff the air around the worker before being shooed away to the back of the van. The last was a massive reptilian beast, with dark red scales, black stripes and a long snout.  
  
"You'd better help out, Bandit, or else no dinner!" Hana barked as Bandit began to sit down and cross his arms in a huff. The young man looked at her with a puzzled look. "Oh he's trained, he's just grumpy from the trip. Water, you see..." She grinned, prodding the large beast in the shoulder and getting a forehead bump in response. "I missed you too, buddy, we'll go to the beach soon and you can play at the back, away from the water."  
  
With what could have been a scowl, Bandit huffed and shuffled awkwardly to the back of the truck where Sawk and Mien-Shao were waiting patiently for their workout. Hana hurried to the lobby to collect her key and clipped it her keychain, rushing back out before the receptionist could ask anymore questions. They opted to take the larger lift at the back of the complex so as not to disturb the neighbours with the noise.  
  
The move-in was almost as peaceful, the two Fighters moving quickly and with ease to empty the truck and stack the boxes against the plain walls. Bandit, having relatively small arms and only three clawed fingers on each hand, opted to carry his second boxes in his jaws, leaving an unpleasant wet patch on each one from his drool.  
  
"Thanks for driving us here and helping unload." She smiled at the worker as the last boxes disappeared into the house.  
  
"No problem, Miss. Good idea to bring fighting-types to help you at the other end! Couldn't imagine you guys walking back and forth from the pier!" The worker chuckled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Truthfully, they served far more than just helping Hana with heavy objects and keeping her in shape.  
  
"Thanks!" She smiled happily, handing him a generous tip and signing the clipboard to make sure everything accounted for. "I uh, probably won't see you around, but thanks for the help."  
  
"No problem Miss, you have a good day, yeah? Enjoy your new life in Alola!" He waved, climbing back into the cab, still waving out the window as he drove away. Hana sighed, no names, although he would have seen hers at the top of the itinerary.  
  
-  
  
"Don't worry about unpacking everything just yet, Li." She warned, flopping onto the couch as Mei-Lin crawled into her lap and curled up. "I'll start tomorrow, I've got everything I need in my suitcase." She added, noticing his blank stare and sighing as he continued to open boxes and start pulling items out. "Have it your way then."  
  
"You want some din-dins, sweetness?" She asked the ball of fur in her lap, scratching under the creatures chin. Mei-Lin gave a wide yawn and blinked up at her. "Of course you do. Li, have you found the kibbles?"  
  
Li shuffled around to a box at the back the pile and tore it open with his pointed fingers, producing a stack of bowls and a large tub and scoop.  
  
"Good find, buddy!" She smiled, knowing full well that he had found it by smell alone. She stood to start portioning out for for the two kibble munchers, tsking as her Krookodile began to tip the bowl straight into his mouth.  
  
Mei-Lin however sat on the floor, taking each piece carefully and examining it before popping it between her teeth and chewing slowly. Li opted not to eat with the others, continuing his unpacking.  
  
Hana looked at the few non-perishables that had been unpacked in the kitchen and frowned, nothing for her to eat and she certainly wouldn't eat kibble. Li wouldn't eat kibble either, having been promoted to personal bodyguard and probably deserved a good takeout. He was such a stickler for tidiness, he would likely not stop until a katsu bowl was offered anyway.  
  
Dolly was let out after Bandit was done with his gross crunching noises and settled at the foot of the bed behind the partition. At least he knew well enough not to take the bed, he was far too big now to sleep on the bed with her.  
  
"There's my sweet baby princess! All the craziness is over, well mostly." Hana smiled as Leafeon bounced around the room, taking in the new smells and sights. Dolly soon found her bowl and began munching hungrily.  
  
"We're gonna head out for some people food..." She started, letting the small beasts in her apartment know she would be leaving. "Veggies!" Hana blurted out at the excited response she got and grinned as Mei-Lin and Dolly turned their noses up at the idea of vegetables.  
  
She laughed fondly as she picked up her bag and Li opened the door for her, one last check for her keys and they were off.  
  
-  
  
It wasn't long before Li pointed out a tiny noodle shack with traditional lanterns hanging up and a small elderly lady bustling about behind the counter. It was barely a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, with several stools lined up at the counter for patrons to eat.  
  
Hana would often avoid those kinds of places, the owners usually being far too chatty for her liking, but if Li wanted a meal then she would do her best to provide.  
  
"What would I do without you, buddy?" She grinned.  
  
After she ordered and tried to discern what Li's stomach could handle, the elderly woman set about collecting their money and began to cook.  
  
Hana gave the same practiced answers as the lady asked her if she was new, why she had chosen Alola, if she had been here long, the usual. She didn't give too much information as the lady placed their bowls on the counter, chopsticks balanced on top of each.  
  
"You let him eat at the table?" The elderly woman asked, but she wasn't being rude as she watched the Fighter pick up his chopsticks carefully and quietly.  
  
"Li is practically a person, if he wants to eat at the table then I'll let him. He knows how to use those better than I do!" Hana laughed awkwardly, before starting to eat herself, wanting the conversation to be over.  
  
"That was wonderful, thank you ma'am." She smiled, pushing her bowl away to signal that she was finished. The lady gave her a warm smile and took the bowls away, telling them to come back whenever they fancied a bite to eat, saying something about trying the rest of the menu.  
  
Hana smiled and politely said that she would, quickly picking up her bag and bowing before walking away briskly.  
  
-  
  
It wasn't long on the way home before Li's sharp eyes and ears caught a commotion in an alleyway off to their left. He immediately shifted into an attack stance as Hana followed his line of sight to see four youth standing over something on the ground, kicking it repeatedly and shouting.  
  
Her eyes went wide, what if they were beating up a Pokémon? Or was it a person? It definitely sounded like a fight between people. Hana bolted to action, Sawk taking off as soon as she started to run toward the group and shouting.  
  
"Hey! Knock it off you little shits!" She yelled, sprinting past dumpsters and bags of garbage with her fists curled tightly. Li was already way ahead of her and when they saw the Black Belt around his waist the young men scattered.  
  
The thing on the ground that the boys had been attacking had indeed to Hana's horror, been a person. A man, with messy bleached white hair at the top of his head, shaved black back and sides. He was wearing what used to be a white t-shirt, however was now ripped and dirty. He was groaning in pain and doubled over on the ground, clutching his stomach.  
  
"Oh my gosh, oh dear..." Hana rushed to his side and sunk to her knees to lean over him, surveying the damage. "I'm gonna call you an ambulance okay? Just stay still." She fumbled in her purse for her cell phone for a moment before he interrupted her, throwing a large hand in front of her face.  
  
"No! Don' call no-one!" The man barked, he was trying his best to sound intimidating but his voice came out choked and hoarse. His knuckles were swollen and covered in rapidly drying blood.  
  
"But you need help! Do you have family nearby?" Hana asked earnestly, watching him with a pitying expression as she lifted her phone to her face.  
  
"'M fine! Jus' leave me 'ere." He spat.  
  
"Hell no! You're bleeding!" She replied angrily, flicking the screen off and putting her phone back in her bag.  
  
"'S not that bad!" He winced, reaching up to touch his swollen eye socket.  
  
"Is anything broken? They kicked you in the ribs..." Hana cooed, reaching forward to feel his waist, over both sides of his lower ribcage. The young man gasped and tried to move away from the sudden contact.  
  
"Oi! Hands off the goods, girlie!" The young man barked as she carefully felt him for breakages, slapping his hands away in his weak attempt to shrug her off.  
  
Judging his height, voice and the stubble on his chin she guessed that he must've been in his early to mid twenties.  
  
"Stop! I'm not going to hurt you, I'm trying to see if anything's broken! Calm down." Hana sighed, gripping his wrist before he could stop her and smiled softly at his wide-eyed expression.  
  
Well, what would have been a wide-eyed look if his face wasn't already puffy from the bruising. He stilled slightly, possibly in shock as she gently felt a little higher, purposely feeling over his collarbones. Those were usually the first to break, this guy had been lucky, she thought to herself.  
  
"You a nurse or somethin'?" He spat, clearly not wanted her attention.  
  
"No, but I've been in a few scraps before. Can you move everything still?" Hana asked softly, placing his hand back down on his hip with a gentle pat as she finished checking him over.  
  
From his groaning she guessed that he had severe bruising but nothing seemed to be broken and luckily nobody had pulled a knife. One of the youths must have been wearing a set of rings however, as his face was wrecked and he had suffered multiple small cuts around the nose, lips and eyebrows. The man groaned, closing his eyes and muttering something inaudible.  
  
"Okay. Well you need to rest and get cleaned up, your face is a mess. Can I walk you home?" Hana offered softly.  
  
"No! Jus' leave me alone." He grumbled, trying to roll away from her.  
  
Hana could have sworn she saw tears pricking at the corners of the mans eyes, though from physical or emotional pain she wasn't sure. She decided not to comment on it, gently placing her hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Which town do you live in? I can call you a ride on a..." She started.  
  
"None o' your business! Leave me alone!" He yelled, curling up defensively as his voice cracked.  
  
"Tough guy huh? Luckily my place isn't far. Li! Help me out here." Hana mused, apparently having made up her mind. Sawk, who had been standing by to make sure the boys didn't come back, turned sharply around at the order.  
  
"Whoa hey! No need to break out the muscle!" The man stared in horror as a dark blue skinned, Gi-wearing, fighting type Pokémon moved forward slowly.  
  
"Calm down then. I'm trying to help you." Hana said softly, trying not to speak to him as if he were a wounded Pokémon.  
  
"Don't need no-ones 'elp..." He growled, narrowing his eyes at her but the effect was almost pathetic.  
  
"That's not what it looks like. What's your name, guy?" Hana asked, rubbing her thumb against his shoulder to soothe him.  
  
"...Guzma." He replied wearily.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Guzma, I'm Hana. You can get cleaned up and rest at my place, we'll see about getting you home in the morning, okay?" She offered, sliding her arm under his shoulders to help him sit up.  
  
"It's just a few blocks this way,." Hana smiled as she motioned for Li to take over, ignoring the feeble groans and protests  
  
"Why are ya helpin' me?" He groaned as Li hauled him easily to his feet and threw the mans arm over his shoulders.  
  
"You look like you need it." She replied, thankfully Li was taking most of his weight. This 'Guzma' turned out to be a pretty big guy, probably well over six feet tall if he stood up straight. Hunched over as he was, his eyes were almost level with hers as she steadied him with a hand on his lower back.  
  
His clothes were dirty and torn, most of the damage was at the front of his previously plain white shirt which now hung open several inches from the rip down the front. His jacket was a short sleeved hoodie with a zig-zag pattern down the sleeves and there was red tape over what might have been an insignia on the back. Gang rivalry perhaps? But why was he covering it?  
  
Li didn't need directions to go home, clearly, but Hana chatted away about where they were going, that it was just a little further and that he would feel better in no time. Guzma just grunted in response until they got to the door, thankfully none of the neighbours had been in the halls as they approached, there had been very few people on the streets in fact.  
  
Hana unlocked the door and stepped through to hold it open as the two entered the small apartment behind her.  
  
"Thanks buddy! What would I do without you?" Hana smiled at Li, who seemed content to just dump Guzma on the couch and be done with him.  
  
"Couch's fine." Guzma muttered as Li steered him over to it. A Mien-Shao was curled up there and gave them both the stink-eye as they approached, not wanting to be disturbed.  
  
"Uh uh. You need proper rest, I can sleep anywhere. Besides you'll be more comfortable in there." Hana smiled softly as Guzma raised an eyebrow at her. "I haven't even slept in it yet, sheets are clean so don't worry about any smells." She poked her tongue out at his suggestive expression.  
  
"Ya don' want a guy like me sleepin' in ya bed, miss." He growled. Li frowned a little but complied, he wanted to help but putting this stranger in his masters bed?!  
  
"Hana. And it's not an invitation, it's an order. C'mon." She grumbled at his teasing chuckle and the little 'ooh' as she said order.  
  
He seemed to still have a sense of humour, that was a good sign.  
  
Li dragged Guzma behind the small partition that obviously served as a bedroom in the tiny apartment and pulled back the soft sheets so he could sit down. With his job done, Li bowed low and retreated to the living room.  
  
"Sure ya not just' tryna fuck me, princess?" He teased, expertly hiding his surprise at how comfortable a real bed was, clean sheets and a warm room, something he didn't really have.  
  
"Ugh, not with a face like that. Get comfortable, I'm going to get some antiseptic and a cloth." She chided as he shifted back on the bed. Hana grumbled as Guzma moved to swing his legs up onto the bed, catching his ankle with surprising speed as he started to shift.  
  
"No shoes on the bed. Come on now." She hummed softly, kneeling down to pull his shoes off.  
  
"I can do that' m'self!" He snapped, wincing as he tried to move away from her hands.  
  
"Alright then, how bad is the bruising? Can you get out of the hoodie? I'll wash it for you." She smiled, grateful for finally being able to do something for someone else. Hana reached over and rearranged the pillows so he could lean on them comfortably, ignoring his grunts and protests.  
  
"'M fine!" He growled, kicking his shoes across the room and settling back onto the soft bed.  
  
"Okay, I'll be right back." She frowned at the state of his socks, dirty and full of holes, and walked over to his discarded shoes to place them neatly side by side at the foot of the bed.  
  
Guzma grumbled to himself as she vanished around the partition, listening to the noises of her moving about and opening doors and cupboards. Why was she so nice to him? He wasn't worth helping, that's when he noticed the pile of cardboard boxes in the corner of the room covered in messy handwriting.  
  
She had just moved here, the girl probably didn't know about Team Skull or all the trouble they had caused just a few years before. He grumbled, emptying his pockets onto the bedside table. Guzma didn't have much on him, the key to his parents place, an empty wallet, no cellphone (it was easier to avoid people that way) and two Pokéballs.  
  
As she returned, Guzma noticed a small pale yellow four legged creature with a long green tipped tail winding around her ankles and almost making her trip. A Leafeon, evolved from the small, fluffy, brown 'Eevee' that lived around Paniola Ranch. It was pretty uncommon to see the Grass-types in Alola, most people preferred Espeon and Sylveon.  
  
Like she said, Hana was holding a bottle of antiseptic ointment, a soft cloth and an ice-pack. Guzma groaned, knowing that whatever she did would probably hurt but he stilled as she fixed him with a stern look as she placed the items on the bedside table and dragged the desk chair over.  
  
"Now, just hold still so I can see how bad this is." Hana cooed, pushing the Leafeon off the seat as she sat down and leaned toward him. Picking up the cloth almost automatically, Hana gently tilted his face towards her with her fingers under his chin and gave him a hum of warning as he tried to back away. Guzma barely noticed the soft whistling from the small creature that sat at her feet, let alone the calming effect that washed over the room. Her expression was soft, not one of pity, he noted as she pressed the warm, damp cloth to his skin and Guzma sighed in defeat.  
  
"Fine." He grumbled, folding his arms in annoyance but allowed her to continue.  
  
Hana worked slowly, gently wiping away the dried blood on the side of his face with something akin to care. This whole night had been so weird since she showed up.  
  
The ointment stung like hell as she dabbed it over the cuts on his forehead with a cotton ball but something about how she explained how it worked was soothing. Hana told him that it was made from distilled Sitrus berries, full of antibacterial and healing properties that would prevent infection and help to diminish any scars.  
  
It wasn't what she was saying that was calming, it was the way she explained it, not in a condescending way but an informative one. Hana wasn't talking down to him and it was strangely comforting, like she didn't think he was too stupid to understand.  
  
"Weird." Guzma muttered, pretending not to care as she reached for some stitch-tape to seal the steadily oozing cut above his eyebrow and gently pressed it in place. He tried his best to stay still and pretend he wasn't in pain as Hana worked.  
  
"There, now hold this over your eye. It'll take the swelling down." She smiled, pressing the ice pack to the side of his face. Guzma huffed at the chilling sensation of the ice-pack and the brief warmth of her fingers as he held the plastic bag to his face.  
  
"Those can come off in a few days, is there anything else that might be bleeding?" She asked, biting her lip awkwardly.  
  
"Nah. Jus' my face." He grumbled, lying back onto the pillows as she gently wiped the blood from his free hand.  
  
"Have you had dinner? I just ate so..." She started, chewing her lip nervously.  
  
"'M fine." He wasn't about to tell this girl that he hadn't eaten anything properly considered a meal in several days.  
  
"I'll make you something light then, to keep your strength up. How about a drink?" Hana offered.  
  
"Coffee?" He asked with a grunt.  
  
"Oh heck no. You need to sleep, how about some cocoa?" She grumbled, placing her hands on her hips and pouting. It would have been cute if she wasn't being so damn annoying. Why was she fussing over him? Like he was someone worth even paying attention to.  
  
"Tapu cocoa?" He offered excitedly.  
  
"I don't know what that is but I can make you cocoa. Just lie back and relax." Guzma snorted at the idea of her not knowing what Tapu Cocoa was, it was the best damn drink in all of Alolan cuisine. Hana turned to the Leafeon circling her calves and crouched down to scratch her head. "Babydoll, would you watch our house-guest? Let me know if he needs anything, okay?"  
  
'Babydoll' chirped and jumped up onto the bed to fix Guzma with an intense stare, clearly being far too literal. He held up his hands to show that he wasn't going to do anything bad and watched the little creatures eyes flick from one hand to the other.  
  
Hana returned in a few minutes later, interrupting the impromptu staring competition, carrying a plate and a mug, at least she wouldn't trip over her Pokémon this time. The food on the plate was a simple Razzberry jelly and peanut butter sandwich, which received a frown from the young man. Hana took note of the look he gave her as she set the plate down and handed him his drink.  
  
"I haven't unpacked any pots or pans yet..." She lied, biting her lip. "Anyway it's a little sugary for something to have before bed but... here you go." Hana presented the wide-eyed Guzma with a tall, handled mug that was steaming with dark brown liquid. The drink seemed to have tiny bits of black grit in it which he turned his nose up at before giving her a questioning look.  
  
"Try it." She smiled warmly and something in her eyes told him that it wasn't actually poisoned. Guzma gritted his teeth and groaned as he lifted the mug to his lips and begrudgingly took a sip.  
  
"Damn." He muttered, trying to hide his surprise at how good it tasted. It filled him with a warmth he hadn't felt in years, sweet and chocolatey with a hint of vanilla bean, real vanilla, that's what the black bits were.  
  
"Ya new around here then?" He offered between sips, trying not to gulp down the entire mug in one go.  
  
"Uhuh. Moved here from Unova to get away from it all, I heard Alola was nice and relaxing. But I'm from Johto originally." Hana shrugged, not wanting to tell him too much.  
  
"Ya don' know the half of it, doll." Guzma grunted, taking another sip of the hot drink.  
  
" _Her_ name is Doll, my name is Hana." She huffed, thumbing over her shoulder at the Leafeon rubbing up against her shoulder from the back of the chair. "Anyway you should eat that, I'll order something for the morning, I haven't really had a chance to go shopping yet."  
  
"Hmph." Was the only response she got.  
  
"I'll be in the uh... other room I guess." Hana muttered to herself, rising from the chair and pushing it back against the desk. "Just shout if you need something okay? Bathrooms not hard to find..." She stopped at the edge of the partition, looking like she had something else to say.  
  
"What?" He barked.  
  
"Um nothing, just sleep well okay?" Hana said quietly.  
  
"Hmph." Another grumpy response, why was he being such a dick? Maybe he was just in too much pain.  
  
Away in the other room as she searched for spare pillows and blankets, Hana thankfully didn't see or hear Guzma fervently inhaling his sandwich. She settled on the couch after Li helped her find what she was looking for and nodded, thanking him as he turned off the lights.  
  
When he reached past the partition for the switch, Li caught a brief glimpse of Guzma, wide-eyed and cheeks full of bread before shaking his head and flipping off the switch. Li settled silently on the floor leaning back against the couch as his trainer patted his shoulder and rolled over to sleep, Dolly curled up against her chest, and waited for sleep to take them.


	2. Stasis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana should get out and explore the island, meet the locals and her possible future neighbors, but... well. The aftermath of the previous nights and the stress of moving to a new place has more of an effect that she had expected. Maybe someone can shake her out of her stupor?
> 
> Sorry this one is a **bit** longer, I didn't want to break it up though.

"Hey, good morning?" A small noise roused Guzma from sleep, the room was still dark. He groaned and managed to open one eye, the bruised one was pressed painfully into the pillow.  
  
The girl from yesterday was crouched by the bed, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him. When she saw that he was awake she smiled warmly and stood up to collect the mug and plate she had left him with last night.  
  
Guzma rolled onto his back and let out a groan, he felt surprisingly good having slept in a real bed although everything hurt. Oh yeah, he had gotten his ass beat by a bunch of punks in an alleyway. Crap. He moved to sit up, shoving the pillows up behind him and secretly hoping that Hana would want to play nurse again today.  
  
Having discarded his ruined shirt in the night, Guzma frowned down as his bruised body. His entire upper body was decorated in dark red and purple blotches, particularly around the midsection.  
  
"Wow, those look pretty painful." Hana said quietly.  
  
"'S fine." He muttered, shifting to get comfortable and wincing at how sore his muscles were. He wasn't as stocky as he could be with his tall frame, but he had a decent tone to him and wasn't usually so damn skinny.  
  
Hana briefly noted how nice he might have looked shirtless had he not been beaten and bruised, having no body hair aside from a small, dark trail leading down from his bellybutton. Good muscle tone, although a little gaunt and tired looking, judging from the dark circles under his eyes.  
  
Had he been sleeping on the street? Or, perhaps he and his girlfriend might have had a fight and she kicked him out. Hana suddenly felt terribly guilty for looking. Yes, he probably had a girlfriend that he didn't feel like going home to right away.  
  
"Um, I haven't got a coffee machine or anything... had to leave the last one at my previous apartment..." She started, tearing her eyes from his abdomen and pacing slowly away to the kitchen. It wasn't far, only a few metres away, the apartment really was quite tiny.  
  
"'S fine." He grumbled.  
  
"I'll just order something." She called out, putting the plate and mug in the dishwasher with the saucepan she had used to make the cocoa.  
  
She probably didn't have a boyfriend at the moment, Guzma thought, if she let him sleep in the only bed. He felt kind of bad for letting her give up the bed for the couch, even if she insisted, but he had been in too much pain to protest any further last night. Was it really just her and her Pokémon living here?  
  
"I'm just gonna get a few hash browns, you want coffee and a breakfast muffin?" Hana reappeared and sat down at the end of the bed, crossing her legs.  
  
Tapping at the screen of her phone, she read out a few options from the breakfast menu of whichever delivery service she used. Hana had slept in some short shorts and a plain black tank top she had fished out of her suitcase. Alolan mornings were unfortunately pretty warm, a stark contrast to the surprisingly cold temperatures at night.  
  
Not wanting this new guy to know she was covered in tattoos, however, she had changed into black leggings and a grey marle sweatshirt before coming in to wake him up.  
  
"Mhmm. Sure." Guzma said, feeling a little guilty that she was buying him breakfast.  
  
"Bacon or sausage patty?" She asked without looking up.  
  
"Um... I dunno, jus' get whatever’s cheapest I guess." He muttered awkwardly.  
  
"Both then? You're probably pretty hungry, guy like you, probably need to eat quite a bit of protein to keep... Um what kind of coffee?" Hana asked suddenly, changing the subject. A deep pink blush was creeping over her cheeks.  
  
"Maybe jus' a cold drink?" He offered, not wanting to turn down food, the heat coming in through the glass balcony doors was starting to warm up the apartment.  
  
"Yeah, good idea!" She muttered, ordering two large cups of chilled Oranberry juice.  
  
"'S warm in 'ere." Guzma grunted, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back, frowning a little at how bad his armpits smelled. When was the last time he had had a shower?  
  
Hana pretended not to notice anything, finishing the order and getting up to push the window open further.  
  
"Haven't figured out how to set the air-con yet, sorry about that." She muttered, still looking at her phone. "Um, feel free to shower or whatever, I'll be putting a load of washing on so just toss your stuff in the machine when you're..."  
  
"What 'm I supposed ta wear when I get out?" He grinned, raising an eyebrow suggestively at her ask she returned his gaze, apparently having not thought of that.  
  
"Oh, right. I don't have anything that will fit you I suppose... never mind." Hana stuttered, kicking herself internally.  
  
"Ya actin' like I got a change o' clothes here, doll. Whatcha see is whatcha get." Guzma grinned at her mistake, enjoying how her cheeks blushed with embarrassment before she turned back to her phone.  
  
"Right, right. Sorry. I just got up so I guess I'm not thinking properly. How are you feeling today, anyway?" She asked, changing the subject quickly. Li was already up and working away at the last few boxes without even so much as a word from her.  
  
"Better, my buds aren't doin' so hot after yesterday." He shrugged, he would need to take them to a Pokémon center at some point.  
  
"Oh, you have Pokémon too? Why didn't you say so? Call them out, I've got some medicine around." Hana offered warmly.  
  
"Don't worry 'bout it." Guzma started.  
  
"Bring them out and I'll heal them, unless they need to sit in water, I don't have a bathtub..." She sighed.  
  
"Doll, ya don' want my boys runnin' around the place." Guzma frowned, not wanting her to chastise him for the state in which his Pokémon were left in.  
  
"Stop calling me that, she'll... no no no!" Hana sighed as Dolly perked up from the couch after hearing her name and darted into the room mewing for attention. She scooped Dolly up with wide eyes before she could clamber all over Guzma.  
  
Hana held her with one arm to scratch her belly with the other, phone quickly dropped to the bed. "Needy little bugger, you are..." She cooed at the Leafeon in her arms "...What am I supposed to do with you?" She smiled.  
  
"Sorry." He offered awkwardly, he had only been here a few hours, how was he supposed to know the thing would respond to how he spoke to every girl?  
  
"I was hoping that she would relax a bit more, she's been missing me. Couldn't have her out on the ship for long, she got sea sick." Hana offered sadly before blowing a 'razzberry' into her Pokémon’s belly. "You're just so frickin' cute I could cuddle you all day!" She giggled at the mewing, writhing bundle of fur in her arms.  
  
"So uh, shower?" Guzma grumbled, pretending not to enjoy the way Hana was fawning over her Leafeon.  
  
"Oh, right, only door besides the front, towels are in the cabinet... I think. There's soap in there that you can use..." Hana offered, putting Dolly back on the ground and turning to leave so he could get up. "Food should be ready by the time you get out."  
  
"Thanks." He grumbled, hot food, comfy bed and a roof over his head, things finally seemed to be improving for him, even if it wouldn’t last.  
  
The bathroom was just as tiny as the rest of Hana’s apartment, with a clothes washer and dryer set against one wall and the toilet crammed into the furthest corner. The shower cubicle, thankfully, was a decent enough size and the fact that there was a shower was good enough for him.  
  
Guzma winced as he climbed in and first spray of hot water hit his sore skin, stinging where she had put the antiseptic. Like she had said, there was inoffensive soap sitting in a dish, clearly new he noted as he rubbed it over himself.  
  
This was nice, he thought, working up a lather and smoothing it over his face and making a note to try and get a razor. What was once a five o’ clock shadow was now quickly becoming unruly and rough, he must’ve looked like a homeless beggar.  
  
He didn’t really have much choice after stepping gingerly out of the shower, than to put his dirty clothes back on. Well, boxers and sweatpants at least, he would probably be better off throwing the shirt and socks away but he’d have to replace them. And with what money?  
  
To his horror, Guzma found Golisopod and Ariados sitting on the living room rug waiting for him. Hana was packing ointment into the deep cuts and scrapes on Golisopods underbelly and Ariados had a bandage neatly wrapped around one of his spindly legs.  
  
There was a foil packet of ‘Revive’ medicine sitting on the coffee table that had been pushed aside to make room and although a little weary, his Pokémon seemed happy to be petted and taken care of by this stranger. He stared in awe as she picked up a bottle of expensive looking spray medicine and applied a generous coating to each wound.  
  
“The fuck do ya think ya doin’?!” Guzma yelled in surprise.  
  
“Helping your friends out, just like I helped you… there you go, it’ll heal over soon big guy, don’t worry about it. Everyone has their bad days, eh?” She cooed softly at Golisopod.  
  
Guzma noticed the two bowls on the floor by their feet with what remained of breakfast. Of course he hadn't been able to feed them once they were knocked out. Hana hadn’t even looked away from her work until she was done, obviously intent on finishing what she had started. Finally setting down the now empty spray bottle, she turned to Guzma and crossed her arms. He knew exactly what was coming.  
  
“Why didn’t you tell me they were in such bad shape? I could have fixed them up last night and they could have slept on the rug!” She grumbled, upset but not particularly angry.  
  
“Didn’t wanna bother you with that. You already had ya boi to deal with.” He growled, slumping down on the couch.  
  
“What the… ugh that doesn’t matter!” She frowned.  
  
“Whatcha doing goin’ around fixin’ up losers like us anyway?! Ya like feelin’ like a big hero?” He spat, raising his voice.  
  
“That’s not how it is!” She panted, looking hurt.  
  
“Sure fuckin’ looks like it, sweet-cheeks! Ya like takin' in charity cases?” He growled.  
  
“This isn’t for charity!” Hana said dejectedly.  
  
“Why then? Fuck ya wanna help a piece o’ shit like me 'n' my pals for? Tryna keep me ‘ere like a fuckin’ prisoner! Practically dragged me ‘ere!” Guzma was shouting now, his fists clenched tightly enough that his fingernails dug into his palm.  
  
“What? It was just one night and you wouldn’t tell me where to take you! You’re free to leave whenever you’re well enough!” Hana pleaded, tears gathering in her eyes. Golisopod stepped forward to butt his face into Guzma’s chest, the creatures silent way of telling him to calm down. “How could I just leave you out on the street, your Pokémon all knocked out and you were…”  
  
Li had appeared from the kitchen to collect the bowls from the floor, nodding politely to the two newcomers and taking them back to put them in the dishwasher. Of course he was keeping an eye on everything.  
  
“Did she hurt ya, buddy?” He asked his Pokémon but Golisopod shook his head, Ariados had already settled on the rug and was cleaning his mandibles.  
  
“I would never!” Hana shouted, now apparently angry. “You… ugh. Foods here.” She sniffed, checking her phone and picking up her keys. “Just eat your food, you can go after that, I won’t eat what you ordered.” She said, opening the door and sounding a little weak as she said it.  
  
“Okay, maybe I overreacted jus’ a lil bit, a’ight?” Guzma frowned at his partners after waiting until she was definitely far away down the hall. Ariados was ignoring him completely but Golisopod held his stare and gave him that look. “Fuck, I just don’t want random chicks messin’ with ya, that‘s all.” He earned himself another head-shake and a grunt from Golisopod. “Well, fuck, whadda ya want me ta do? Apologize?” Golisopod just stared blankly, obviously meaning ‘yes, fix this’. Guzma threw his hands up in defeat.  
  
“Gah! Fuckin’ hell. Ya guys eaten enough?” He asked. “Coz we ain’t stayin’ here much longer.” He frowned at his Pokémon as Golisopod looked around the room slowly and then to his horror, sat down on the rug with a loud thud.  
  
“Hell no! Dontcha get comfy just coz she rubbed ya belly or whateva! Imma jus’ eat the food she _already paid for_ and then we’re off. Got it? We’ll… put some change in her mailbox or somethin’.” He huffed, hoping that that would be enough to settle the giant bug.  
  
Guzma stared at the door, how long had she been gone for? He sat in silence, avoiding Golisopod’s judgmental gaze. Minutes ticked by, well they must have, Guzma stood up with a groan and checked the time on the microwave, his watch hadn’t worked for over a year now but it still looked good.  
  
Suddenly remembering he hadn’t checked the time when she left, he scuffed his feet on the linoleum floor. How long did it take to collect a food order? Had she gone and fallen down the stairwell or something?  
  
Li was simply standing there at the kitchen counter, wiping down the surfaces with a damp cloth with his back to Guzma.  
  
Finally he heard a key being pushed into the latch and darted back to where he had been sitting on the couch. When Hana appeared with her arm through the handle of a paper bag and two cups in a cardboard holster, her face was tinged pink and it looked as though she had been crying. She looked right at him, she had been crying, and began to speak.  
  
“Look, I didn’t just want to leave you out there and you didn’t want to go to a hospital so I didn’t know what to do and I’m sorry I got Li to drag you back here if that wasn’t what you wanted and I just wanted to do something nice for another person and I’m really sorry that I was being so pushy and…” Hana blurted out, apparently unable to stop, nor was she able to stop the tears from rolling down her face.  
  
Shit, he thought, trying to take in everything that she was saying but she was speaking so fast.  
  
“Whoa, whoa, slow down and chill with the waterworks!” He gasped, standing suddenly despite his injuries and rushing over to her. “I was just bein’ a dick before. I appreciate all this, I do... I just don’t get a lot o' people wantin' to help me, 's all.” Guzma frowned taking the cups out of her trembling hands and setting them down on the side-table to give her an awkward yet gentle hug.  
  
“I'm sorry for yellin’. I just ain’t used to this kinda thing.” He said softly and winced as he felt her arms close around his waist. “Sheesh. Didn’t mean ta make ya cry.”  
  
Guzma stood there for a while, rubbing her shoulders as Hana muttered something like an apology for summoning his Pokemon without asking. Li had appeared from around the corner, giving Golisopod a nod of approval and stood watching for any more arguments.  
  
He didn't really understand the entirety of what was being said, but if the stranger raised his voice or even a fist to Li's master again, the new guy would find himself outside on his ass quicker than Hana could say 'Bulk Up'.  
  
“Your food is getting cold.” Hana said, sniffing and pulling away, she took a moment to wipe her tears off his chest carefully with her sleeve before picking up the cups and laying out the food on the coffee table in silence. “I just wanted to do the right thing, moving here, helping people when they might need it. I’m trying to be a better person.”  
  
“Ya seem like a pretty good person ta me.” Guzma offered. “Lettin’ a scumbag like me in ya house, fixin’ me up and buyin’ me food. Takin’ care o’ my boys.” Hana simply shook her head.  
  
“I’m trying. Just hoped if I was ever in trouble like that, someone might come along and help me out. Maybe that’s not it at all.” She sighed and brought a cup to her lips, sipping through the straw and staring off into space. “Maybe I was just lonely and thought if I helped you, we could become friends. It was stupid.”  
  
“That’s not stupid, just, me?!” Guzma frowned, reaching for his breakfast muffin, just like she said, it had all the trimmings. “I ain’t worth gettin’ to know.” He said dismissively.  
  
“I guess I just saw someone alone, messed up and thought, hmm, he’s kinda like me.” Hana said sarcastically.  
  
“Ya don't even know me, princess. What’s that supposed ta mean anyway?” He huffed, mouth full of food.  
  
“You don't know me either.” Hana replied curtly. She chewed her food slowly for a moment, thinking before asking.  
  
"I just, don' get why you'd wanna have anything to do with me. I'm a mess, a massive fuckin' screw up." Guzma grumbled.  
  
"And you think I'm not?" She asked, it wasn't her job to prove herself to him and you couldn't just dump something like that on a stranger, could you?  
  
"Well yeah." He shrugged, laying his hand on his now almost full belly. It felt good to have food in there finally.  
  
"I get it. I'm not here to force you to do anything you don't want to, it's not my place to tell others what to do." Hana sighed, absently braiding her hair into pigtails, her cup of juice was almost finished but she still had two hash browns left.  
  
"'Cept when they're hurt." Guzma teased, getting another gentle shove against his arm.  
  
"So this is it I guess." Hana sighed, standing up to go retrieve his jacket from the dryer. She had almost forgotten about it but Guzma seemed in much better shape after having a proper sleep. With his torn shirt back on and meagre belongings carefully put away in his sweatpants pockets, he paused at the door.  
  
"If you don't have anywhere to go, let me at least give you some cash for a motel..." Hana started, reaching for her purse.  
  
"NO! Look, ya've done plenty for me, don' worry 'bout it." He scuffed his toes against the doormat, not wanting her to worry about his stupid problems.  
  
"But..." She started, looking defeated.  
  
"Just don't worry 'bout me, okay? Thanks for, y'know, and takin' care o' my boys." Guzma opened his arms to offer another hug, just if she wanted to.  
  
"It was nice to have some company." She smiled, returning the awkward hug warmly. "If you ever need anywhere to stay or if you get into trouble again, there's a couch here, okay? Just knock, I'll probably be here."  
  
"Nah, just get out and enjoy the sun or whatever, there's a beach right across the damn street." He chuckled, having hungrily eyed her collection of consoles sitting under the TV, but there was a lot to do outside. Surely she wouldn't just sit inside playing games all day having just moved here?  
  
"I mean it!" She called down the hallway as he left, shaking his head.  
  
Guzma sighed as he left the apartment complex, stuffing his hands roughly into the pockets of his jacket only to find something hard in there. Two things in fact, he groaned and pulled them out to have a better look, one was a packet of the yellow, diamond shaped 'Revive' tablets and a small spray bottle that read 'Full Restore'.  
  
There was a note taped to the rectangular bottle that simply said 'Everyone has their bad days.'  
  
He covered his face with his hand after shoving the medicine back in his pocket, she sure had a soft spot for Pokémon and even him. Guzma thought about tossing them away or putting them back in her mailbox but without the proper key, the spray bottle definitely wouldn't fit through the slot.  
  
Damn her, these things were so expensive, but if he couldn't return them Guzma supposed he would have to use them on his Pokémon.  
  
-  
  
"Fucking get _dead_ , you piece of shit!" Hana shouted at the screen, Dolly was growling at the man on the screen too, a tall thin priest in ragged robes wielding two gigantic swords. The Boss darted forward and lunged with the smaller of the two and the shimmering purple blade bit into her characters shoulder.  
  
It wasn't the best way to pass the time, but she had gotten pretty far in the last few days. The weather had been a little too hot for her liking, so Hana had opted to unpack her movies and games and stay inside to enjoy them instead of risking sunburn. Besides, she had to wait for certain emails and calls to come through.  
  
Hana gasped as the words 'You Died' appeared in red text across the slowly darkening screen. “You bastard! I was out of stamina! It wasn't my fault!" She huffed as her character reappeared standing out in the cold by a bonfire.  
  
She put down her controller with a little too much force, breathing hard through her nose and bounced her leg on the ground as she covered her face with her hands. Dolly sprang up on the couch next to her to lick her hands.  
  
"It's fine Babydoll, I'll get him next time, I swear to fu..." She spat through gritted teeth as she heard a quiet knock on the door. Eager to be distracted by anything, perhaps it was a package or maybe even... No, don't be silly, she told herself. Hana steeled her nerves and prepared her 'phone voice' for the delivery person as she jerked the handle down and pulled the door open to find...  
  
"Guzma! H-hi, um, how are you?" She sputtered happily, unable to hide her shock.  
  
"I heard shoutin', ya okay?" He muttered, scratching the back of his head. His stubble was starting to become a bit more of what might be called a beard and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a mess.  
  
"Oh! Yes fine, fine, come in! It's just a game..." She muttered opening the door wider.  
  
"What game ya playin'? He asked curiously, shuffling past to settle on the couch beside her and stared at the snowy city-scape and round frozen over fountain her character was standing in front of.  
  
"Aww shit, girlie, ya ain't playing this fuckin' garbage!?" He chuckled, Guzma had heard of this game before, gruellingly difficult boss fights, hard to navigate terrain and death, so much death. Definitely not something he would waste his time on, when he had access to a console and tv.  
  
"It's not garbage, it's pretty good, when it's not being bullshit." Hana mumbled, picking up her controller and slumping down into the seat beside him. It had been about a week since she had seen him last and he smelled like he hadn't been staying indoors.  
  
"Yeah sure thing." He grumbled, Dolly jumped up onto Hana's lap, causing her to lean back with her controller to try to let the Leafeon settle while still seeing the screen.  
  
"Anyway, I think I'm done with this for the day." She grunted, setting down the controller and switching the channel back to regular television shows.  
  
Dolly sniffed at him cautiously before settling into the space between them, curled up with her feet under her and looking like a loaf of bread.  
  
Li and Mei-Lin were nowhere in sight and Bandit had been put away for fear of him smashing the TV if he noticed Hana getting too upset. It had only happened once and he hadn't quite understood why she was mad at him for it, he was only trying to help her.  
"Anyway, do you need something to drink? You hungry?"  
  
"A little bit, won't say no if you're already gonna order somethin'." He grinned as she set down her controller and moved into the kitchen.  
  
"Sure thing, um..." Hana muttered, opening the fridge door.  
  
There still wasn't much inside, she had only ventured as far as the corner shop for what was absolutely necessary, it was far too hot the last few days to be wandering around and carrying heavy items back. The couriers would deliver one or two meals but the supermarkets wouldn't deliver just yet.  
  
"Shoot. How about I just order something?" Hana hummed nervously.  
  
"Ya seem ta enjoy your takeout." Guzma noted, but not outright refusing, it would be rude to ask her to cook for him. "Been down to the beach yet?  
  
"No, not yet. I got the air-con working so I've been hanging out here, just relaxing." She shrugged, picking up her phone and slumping back to the couch.  
  
"Have you been out at all? You just moved here right?" Guzma grinned, one eyebrow shooting up to mock her as he gestured to the TV.  
  
She glared up at him from her phone with a look of annoyance.  
  
"Not yet, I've just been relaxing at home with nobody in my personal space or asking me why I moved here and how I like it so far and where I'm from and..." Hana started listing off the most boring questions she had been asked in the last week.  
  
"A'ight, a'ight! Fuck. Chill out, princess." He grinned, happy to have finally gotten under her skin.  
  
"I hate boring questions." She grumbled, tapping away to find a restaurant she was interested in trying.  
  
"Yeah... guess I understand that. The folks here pride 'emselves on being friendly and welcoming and stuff, but they're kinda annoyin'." Guzma sighed.  
  
"And nosy. Alright, one boring question, how are you? Still hurting? You want another ice-pack?" Hana offered.  
  
"Nah, just sore." He shrugged, much of his lower body was now tinged with a gross yellow colour where dark bruising had been previously. He had tried to get a proper look in a gas station bathroom, but the mirror was filthy and he wasn't going to clean it.  
  
"No more fights since?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing as bad as that. Thought you was orderin' food?" Guzma prompted, trying to ignore the grumbling in his stomach.  
  
He didn't really want to impose, but what other options did he have? The Pokémon Centres all turned him away after healing up his tired companions and this was much better than curling up in an alleyway where those punks could find him again. The first few times had been fine and he had been able to hold his ground, but the next time they showed up with more friends, until he was clearly outmatched.  
  
"Oh shit, yeah well... um what do you feel like?" Hana asked, not really knowing what she felt like eating.  
  
She had had a few shockers over the last few days, food showing up squished and looking nothing like the pictures. She hated to leave bad reviews, it might have just been the delivery person not being careful.  
  
"Aww shit, I'll eat just about anythin'. Get whatever you want." Guzma muttered.  
  
"You got any suggestions?" Hana offered, perhaps he knew of a place that didn't send out disappointing food.  
  
"Shit, ya gotta be like that huh? Chicks." He sighed dejectedly, Guzma wasn't particularly fussy, he couldn't afford to be picky about food.  
  
"Well if you don't feel like anything in particular, I'll just get ice cream." She shrugged.  
  
"That ain't dinner, doll." Guzma frowned, noticing how Leafeon perked up and butted her head against his thigh. "Aww shit."  
  
"Told you not to do that." Hana hummed. "We're out of bread so I'm not gonna make you a sandwich."  
  
"Shit... What about Chinese takeout?" He offered, suddenly feeling like greasy noodles.  
  
"Okay, which one of these is good?" Hana offered holding out her phone with the delivery service pulled up. Guzma stared at her for a moment before taking it awkwardly and scrolling through to find a place he might have eaten at a few years ago.  
  
"This one gave me the shits, don' go there..." He muttered awkwardly and Hana giggled, answering simply that she'd keep that in mind. "Ew, don't, um..." He eventually settled on a Japanese teriyaki house, not what he had originally thought of but the dishes looked good enough.  
  
"Thought you wanted Chinese?" Hana teased, twirling a lock of hair around her finger and leaning over to see what he had chosen.  
  
"Nah, these guys are good, been there before." He muttered, adding a seafood rice bowl to the cart and handing it back.  
  
"Okay, yeah looks good." Hana smiled excitedly.  
  
She ordered sodas for both of them without even asking, her usual habit of always having a drink on hand in case she choked on something spicy. Remembering with a deep red blush the time she had gone out with Grimby, choked on something and eventually coughed chewed food into her napkin. She had been so mortified she couldn't look at him for almost an entire day afterwards.  
  
Of course she couldn't go anywhere without making a complete fool of herself. It was far better to just eat at home than have people staring at her or even laughing at her expense. That had been such an embarrassing experience, one definitely not worth repeating in front of someone new.  
  
"So you've just been stayin' in all day?" Guzma asked as she flicked through the channels for something to watch.  
  
"I've walked Dolly for an hour every day." Hana groaned, trying to list off the times she had gone outside in the last week. Going to the corner shop for toilet paper and milk, running into the Pokémon supply store for more large kibble for Bandit, he ate so damn much but she couldn't deny him if he was hungry. Oh, she collected her mail every two or three days and took out the trash on Wednesday...  
  
"I can get it for you." He muttered as her phone pinged to say the courier would be arriving shortly.  
  
"Nah it's fine, my name is on the order anyway." Hana stood with a groan, her back stiff from sitting all day on the couch as she reached for her keys.  
  
"Think I'm gonna take off with your food?" Guzma teased.  
  
"I'd hunt you down and cut your fingers off" She smirked, heading out the door.  
  
As she made her way to the lift to go down to the lobby, Hana smiled, excited to have Guzma back in the house even if he was a little grumpy and rude. He teased her a bit but there was something nice about having him around.  
  
Autopilot kicked in as she reached the front counter and waiting area, waving at the delivery guy and confirming her order.  
  
"Hi there... yes, that's me... thank you very much... of course. You too." Hana gave the guy a toothy grin to hide her nerves, it was getting easier to pretend, wasn't it? People in Alola were so painfully friendly and talkative, nothing like she was used to back home.  
  
She sighed as she paced back down the hallway to her apartment with their order, turning the key to see that Guzma had gotten bored of the show she had left on and changed the channel yet again. Though he was now crouched down to look at the other games she had in her collection.  
  
"See anything you like?" She offered, setting down the food and placing the bag on the floor for rubbish. Dolly perked up at the smell. "Not for you!" She snapped quickly..  
  
"Nah." He muttered, truthfully having never heard of most of them.  
  
Well, there's movies saved on the TV. Put something on while we eat." She handed the remote to him without a second glance.  
  
"Background noise?" Guzma grinned over his shoulder at her.  
  
"Mhmm." Hana hummed, settling with her legs crossed and bringing her bowl up her face.  
  
After a few moments of scrolling through plenty of scary movies marked as her 'favourites' and frowning at some of the choices, Guzma found something suitable. Just a popular action movie that he had seen years ago.  
  
"Well, whatcha gonna do 'ere then?" He asked, settling next to her on the couch. Surely she couldn't just sit in here with all her fancy tech all day, there were plenty of things to do even on Melemele Island.  
  
"Hmm, I'm still deciding. ..." Hana sighed, leaning back into the couch and accidentally leaning a little on Guzma's shoulder. "Oops, sorry." She shuffled sideways to give him space.  
  
"'S fine. Maybe look into doing the Island Challenge." He offered, hating the idea, and it was mostly just for kids but she was a newcomer too.  
  
"Hmm, yeah maybe. I'm probably too old for it though." Hana replied.  
  
"Nah, they let anyone take it nowadays, tourism and such." He groaned.  
  
"Hmmm." She sighed, carding her fingers back and forth through Dolly’s fur and pulling her ears back a little bit, making her Pokémon yawn.  
  
"Could get yourself a bunch o' fancy Z-crystals?" Guzma chuckled.  
  
"Looked at it, don't care." She muttered boredly.  
  
"You what?" Guzma looked completely dumbfounded. Everyone around here loved doing their silly little dances and using the super-powered moves, how could she not be interested?  
  
"Don't care, not when I've got mega stones." She huffed. "I mean, crystals are cool, I can put them on the windowsill or something." She added with a casual shrug.  
  
"I mean, yeah it's pretty bullshit, but it might uh, give you somethin' to do?" Guzma frowned.  
  
"Doesn't seem quite as exciting as collecting badges, but I guess you're right." Hana hummed, sipping her drink.  
  
"So ya aren't gonna use 'em?" He asked curiously.  
  
"Nah. This is way more useful." She mumbled, trying to respond with her mouth full as he had done. Hana reached down to pull out the pearly stone she had been given in Hoenn. It had been re-set into a dark steel claw and threaded onto a chain that she wore around her neck. The small stone hung down low enough, between her breasts in fact, that with most of her shirts nobody could even see it until she used it.  
  
"Huh..." He grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, everyone likes their little crystals around here. But it's a one time use kinda thing, wasteful if you ask me. I never liked using berries or other disposable items..." Hana muttered, pushing the stone back where it belonged. "Reckon I'll take my chances with special sashes, lenses or stones that don't shatter after one move."  
  
"Seems like ya know what ya doing with battlin' then." Guzma said quietly, only the best trainers were gifted such dangerous and wonderful items. He had of course heard about Mega Evolved Pokémon, but being able to try it himself was way out of reach. No Professor worth a damn would ever trust him with something so powerful.  
  
"Yeah, it's whatever. That was years ago anyway, I just hold onto this stuff for the memories, y'know?" The film was almost over and she had almost said too much anyway. Hana stood, stretching out and wandered over to the cupboard where she kept the spare blankets and pillows.  
  
"You off then?" Guzma asked suddenly.  
  
"Pretty much, I've seen this one heaps of times. I'm pretty tired actually." She added, not wanting to admit that she was getting a headache.  
  
"A'ight." He nodded solemnly as she collected the now empty plastic bowls and utensils, dropping them into the trash and finishing her soda quickly.  
  
"Good talk." Hana yawned, placing down the pillow and blanket for him. "Y'know where the bathroom is, cups are to the left above the sink if you get thirsty and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"  
  
"'Night." Guzma muttered sadly as she picked up Dolly to take her to bed.  
  
It was much cooler in the living room now that Hana and her Leafeon were gone. He arranged the pillow and blanket, turning off the TV, the light in the kitchen and living area before flopping down face-first into the pillow.  
  
He groaned, the noise muffled enough that she wouldn't hear it and kicked off his shoes. Guzma was too tired to undress properly, curling up so that he would fit better and pulling the blanket up. This was much nicer than that bush he had sleeping under for the last few nights.


	3. Grim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana gets a call from an old flame, it's over now but he was still a good friend, saying all the right things, making sure she was okay. He was happy with Shauntal, right? She was better for him, and worked right there at the League so he could see her whenever he wanted. That's how things went, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW section! Just ya boi on his lonesome, (for now) so be warned if you don't wanna read about that. Can't have a fic with ya boi and not get some sexy time in there y'know? ;)

When Guzma awoke the next morning, he heard Hana shove open the door to the small balcony and smelled the salty air wafting through. Well, she was trying to be quiet, as she was apparently taking a phone call.  
  
He rolled over and lay still, trying to listen to what she was talking about with the stranger. He listened as she grunted, trying to pull the door closed as must as possible, it sounded like it was stuck.  
  
"Grimby! How are you?" Hana trilled happily and fell silent for a few moments.  
  
"That's good. Yeah, fine." She replied in almost monotone.  
  
"Yeah it's pretty chill, well, apart from the heat." Hana said calmly.  
  
"Mhmm." She hummed and paused again.  
  
"Yeah they're doing good, Bandit misses the desert." She said sadly.  
  
"Route 13? Gotcha, yeah he'll like that." She replied happily, did she want to go to Haina desert with one of her Pokémon?  
  
Guzma wondered briefly what kind of Pokémon 'Bandit' was. Probably a ground-type, he thought, wracking his brain for ground type creatures she might have in her team. He rolled over carefully and cracked one eye open a bit to see her.  
  
She was standing out on the balcony, the door open just a crack. She had her phone pressed into her ear with her shoulder, examining her fingernails and frowning at whatever the caller might have been saying.  
  
Hana was in her usual morning gear, from what he knew, tight black leggings all the way down to her ankles, bare feet and a soft grey sweatshirt. How could she stand being so covered up in this heat?  
  
At least when it got too hot Guzma could take off his jacket, but she never seemed to wear anything revealing. She wasn't out of shape or anything, it wasn't as if anyone would mind if she showed a little more skin. Or perhaps that was just his morning wood talking?  
  
"Nah not really, tryin' to stay out of trouble." Hana replied to the caller, dropping her hands and giving her neck a rest.  
  
"No I haven't started yet, just unpacking and settling in at the moment." She hummed, twirling a loose piece of hair around her finger.  
  
"Yeah so? I've met a few folks, didn't like most of them." She said, sounding somewhat bored at the topic. She paused again.  
  
"Yes I have!" She snapped, looking hurt and turning her back to the apartment.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Guzma could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke, Hana replied in a smug tone.  
  
"You wouldn't know him, but he's nice." She giggled.  
  
"No nothing like that." She said quietly, her face scrunching up suddenly in anger. "Yes he's real! Fuck you!" She added, giggling a little.  
  
"Black hair, grey eyes, about my age. Really tall." Hana turned back to the apartment and he quickly closed his eyes. That was... that was him wasn't it? Guzma wondered, why was she describing him?  
  
"Nah. Well, I dunno. Maybe?" Hana chuckled.  
  
"Stop." She giggled.  
  
"Whatever, you might meet him someday." She said with a wave of her hand, obviously wanting to change the topic.  
  
"Nah, no-one else just yet, most people here are surfies and..." She started. The caller, 'Grimby', must've been asking if she had made any friends.  
  
"But they all suck!" Hana gasped.  
  
"I know, I know. I'm trying." She sighed, and there was another long pause. A lecture perhaps? Who the hell was this guy?  
  
"That sounds good, yeah." She replied.  
  
"Yeah that'd be nice. Mhmm, yeah. Say hi to Shaun for me okay?" She smiled, obviously nearing the end of the call.  
  
"Okay. See you soon then. Yup. Bye!" Hana called, hanging up the phone and trying to open the balcony door as quietly as possible.  
  
Patting Li on the head as she passed by him, Hana made her way to the kitchen, picking out bowls and plates as quietly as possible. Followed by the sounds of what was no doubt kibble being poured into each.  
  
It was probably time to let her know he was awake, he thought, rolling over stretching out his arms and legs. Noticing that Guzma was awake, she jumped a little as she noticed him watching her prepare breakfast for her partners.  
  
"Oh, good morning! Did you sleep okay on the couch?" She asked, happy to see him looking a little more rested.  
  
"Mornin'. It's fine." He grumbled, blinking up at her, the lights were still off but the thin curtains to the balcony did little to block out the Alolan sun as it climbed it's way into the sky.  
  
"You sure? If you need something for the pain just let me know, okay?" She offered warmly, scooping out more kibble from a smaller container.  
  
"It's fine." He muttered again, not feeling particularly talkative so early in the morning.  
  
Rather quickly, Guzma found out exactly what type of Pokémon 'Bandit' was, as Hana groaned something about not testing her patience this morning, reaching for the luxurious ball and tossed it out to call for him. The huge reptilian beast appeared once the light dispersed and Guzma stared in shock that she would have a partner so... Well she had Li...  
  
"If you want to eat at the table like a human, you've gotta behave yourself, Bandit!" Hana growled at her Krookodile. Bandit stomped his feet and grunted loudly at the sight of Li eating meat, rice and beans at the table, with a pair of chopsticks. "I know I know! Ya big brute!" She grumbled, patting him on the head as she passed him a bowl of dried meat and pointed to the balcony doors. "Outside, please, if you're gonna be like that."  
  
"Harsh." Guzma grumbled from the couch, having rolled over to watch the display. Bandit stomped past, through the open door and sat down with his back to the apartment with a thump, flicking his long tail around.  
  
"He just needs a firm hand, that's all." Hana hummed, setting down a bowl for Dolly and stroking down her back and tail with a flick. "I don't need any more fighting in the house."  
  
"You gonna take him to Haina desert?" Guzma asked sleepily, still not feeling motivated to get up.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I think he'll like it there. Sorry if I was being loud before." She offered, looking a little hesitant.  
  
"Nah. It's fine." He grumbled. "What's for breakfast?" He asked, giving her a cheeky grin.  
  
"I was gonna order coffee and burritos, don't feel like doing much today." She hummed, finding her phone and flipping through the apps. Hana was grateful that he hadn't seen her shameful amount of takeout bags and containers that she taken down to the back alley and tossed into the dumpster.  
  
"Uh... sure." Guzma said casually, burritos seemed weird to eat first thing in the morning but he wasn't going to turn down free food and especially not coffee. He hadn't even gotten one last time he stayed.  
  
He stretched out, judging from the look on her face she wanted to sit down on the couch. Guzma stretched out his long legs before turning sideways and sitting up to give her space. Hana sat down on top of the blankets, still looking at her phone and narrowly missing sitting directly on Guzma's thigh as he shifted.  
  
"Oops, sorry! What do you want in yours?" She hummed, tapping at her phone before turning to show him the menu.  
  
"Everything." He shrugged.  
  
"Everything burrito... Even jalapenos?" She asked.  
  
"Sure." Guzma shrugged again, placing his hands behind his head.  
  
"They're really spicy..." Hana began with a look of warning.  
  
"Ya boi can handle a bit o' spice!" He growled, frowning at her. He ate spicy food when it was an option, how bad could hala-whatsits be?  
  
"Huh?" She looked up from her phone with a deep blush spreading across her cheeks  
  
"Don' get your panties in a twist, girlie! That's just how I talk." Guzma sputtered nervously, trying his best not to think of her panties. Like she'd even want him seeing them with his face still messed up as it was. "Need a piss..." He muttered awkwardly, pushing back the blanket and heading into the bathroom.  
  
The man staring back at him from the mirror was a mess. His eyes were puffy and swollen, and not just from his usual lack of sleep, the skin around his dark grey eyes was starting to turn brown and yellow. The cut on his eyebrow had scabbed over in a thick brown crust and his jaw ached like back when his Dad would...  
  
"Fuckin' gross." He muttered to nobody in particular, running his fingers through his grown out, bleached hair. The back and sides were getting a little too long for his liking and the top section was becoming unruly and starting to fall into his eyes. At least it covered some of the damage.  
  
Lifting up his ruined t-shirt, Guzma frowned at the mottled bruising across his chest, down his ribs and over his abdomen. His back hadn't faired much better. Those punks really gave it to him, but at least they didn't tear out his nipple piercings, he would have surely killed them if they did that.  
  
The punk kids had however kicked him several times in the nuts, otherwise he would have still been standing, Guzma told himself. He had kept that to himself, there certainly wasn't anything Hana could have done about that and he didn't want to put an ice-pack down there.  
  
Turning away from the hideous sight in the mirror, Guzma took himself in hand, pulling his shirt up and thumbing over his neglected cock. It'd been a while since he had been in a place where he could jack off in peace, and even longer since he had had anyone to do it for him.  
  
Sitting down on the closed toilet seat, Guzma began working himself over, anything to feel just a tiny bit better. Maybe if he played his cards right, Hana might help him out one day. Unlikely, but it was nice to imagine her hands making him feel this good.  
  
She was probably far too good a girl to even consider touching him like this, he thought as he picked up speed, but just maybe.  
  
He imagined sitting on the couch, Hana kneeling on the floor between his knees and looking up at him hungrily. Her lips and tongue dancing across the tip of his cock before taking the whole thing into her mouth, all the way back into her throat. She would be grasping desperately at his hips, like he was the best she had ever tasted and she couldn't get enough of him.  
  
"Mmm. Yeah babe, just like that." He groaned quietly, focusing on the image in his head with his eyes squeezed shut and desperately trying to suppress a moan.  
  
Yeah, she'd be so into him, drooling down her chin and fondling his balls. She'd be so good at it, so into what she was doing to him, she'd be moaning and flicking her tongue over the slit. Hana would slide her fingers into her panties, no fuck that, she'd already be naked. Yeah, teasing herself as she pleased him, playing with her nipples, of course she would have the nicest little nipples, tasting him and swallowing him down with a lust filled moan as he came.  
  
"Yeah, oh fuck baby, make me cum!" Guzma whispered, clasping a hand over his mouth to muffle any sounds that came out. He had finished embarrassingly fast, spurting hot white cum all over his lower stomach and dripping into the trail of hair below his bellybutton. He lay back against the cistern for a moment to catch his breath and come down from his orgasm, just leaning there and panting.  
  
He felt sleazy for the first time in a long while, of course he was a pretty sleazy guy but jerking off to a strange girl he had just met? Pathetic. Completely and utterly pathetic, he thought as he willed himself to reach for some tissue paper to clean up with, grateful that he had moved fast enough to stop it from dripping onto his sweatpants.  
  
Fucked if it hadn't felt amazing though, even if he was a good-for-nothing, lay-about, waste of space... Guzma stopped, he had scrubbed at his stomach had enough to leave a raw patch of red, inflamed skin over an already present bruise. He grumbled to himself about shutting the fuck up, standing up and tossing the paper into the toilet so he could finally pee.  
  
Hana was smiling from the couch as he left the small bathroom, if she heard anything at all, she was pretending that she hadn't.  
  
"Oh hey, you didn't say what coffee you wanted so I just guessed, long black no sugar?" She smiled up at him sweetly, obviously hoping she had guessed right.  
  
"Nah." Guzma sighed, despite his tough appearance, he had a pretty big sweet tooth.  
  
"Oh." She looked down at the receipt on her phone, was she disappointed?  
  
"I'll still drink it thoough, since you already paid." Guzma said, feeling a little disappointed in himself.  
  
"But if you don't like it..." She began, looking up at him pleadingly as he sat down beside her. Bandit had waddled back in from outside, holding his bowl and looking defeated.  
  
"It's fine, I should of said somethin'." He shrugged as she stood to take the bowl from her partner, scratching down his neck before tossing it into the dishwashing machine with the rest of them. Hana sighed.  
  
"I really need to go to the store, need dishwashing tablets..." She muttered to herself, shutting the overflowing machine with a hard push.  
  
"I can uh... help you carry stuff if you want? To say thanks for... y'know." Guzma mumbled.  
  
"Oh you're no trouble, really. It's nice to have another person around, these guys can't really hold a conversation, y'know?" Hana smiled warmly, looking at her Pokémon.  
  
"You get a bit lonely?" Guzma asked, without thinking. What a stupid question, he thought, nobody wants to admit something like that to a complete stranger.  
  
"Mhmm, sometimes. Anyway the food should arrive soon, I'm gonna meet the guy in the lobby. I'll be right back." Hana answered quickly and apparently honestly, snatching her keys off the coffee table and disappearing out the door in a flash.  
  
Guzma sat in silence, ignoring Dolly as she wound around his legs as they hung over the edge of the couch, clearly wanting some loving. His mind was racing with negative thoughts as the creature climbed up and nuzzled into his hand until he finally responded, scratching behind her ears.  
  
He must have spaced out for a while, judging from how Dolly was now curled up and dozing in his lap as Guzma stroked her short fur. His sweatpants were now sufficiently coated in little pale-yellow hairs. A click from somewhere to the left alerted him that Hana had returned.  
  
"Oh, she likes you, how sweet!" Hana grinned, panting as she entered the room and kicking the door shut behind her. A paper bag was tucked under her arm and she held a takeaway coffee cup in each hand. She must have tried to hold both in one arm to open the door, judging from the small spill on her sweater.  
  
"Think she just missed you." Guzma smiled, unable to get up thanks to the small four legged creature nestled into his lap.  
  
"Probably." Hana giggled.  
  
She placed the cups down on the coffee table before setting down the bag, taking out a small package of foil and then another larger one that she set in front of him. She pressed a button on the remote to switch on the TV and motioned for him to choose something.  
  
"Aw, shoot." She grumbled, noticing where he was looking and dashing towards the bathroom.  
  
Hana's grey marle sweatshirt now soaking in a sink-full of stain remover and warm water, she chastised herself for not being more careful. She just wanted to get back to him as quickly as possible, so she could just, talk to him... be around him. Ugh, stupid. He doesn't care, he just likes the free food and somewhere to sleep that isn't home, she told herself. Idiot, just chill out, you can probably just be friends, she told herself, that would be good enough right?  
  
She left the bathroom and dug through the drawers for something else to wear, people here didn't seem to like tattoos unless you were a surfer. Besides, the marks might identify her. She stepped back out into the living room in a thin cardigan and sat down gingerly next to Guzma and Dolly, picking up her spilled coffee.  
  
"So uh, what was that all about?" He asked with his mouth full of eggs, mushrooms and beef.  
  
"Oh, an old friend from Unova, where I lived before." Hana offered, feeling a little embarrassed about the topic.  
  
"Anyone special?" Guzma offered jokingly, wiping sauce off his mouth with his arm.  
  
"Um. A while ago yeah, but it's over now." Hana said quickly, peeling open the foil wrapper and taking a bite. At least she didn't have to worry about getting food everywhere, but if he dripped sauce on Dolly...  
  
"An ex? He still calls ya?" Guzma gasped.  
  
"He's just a friend now, hard to be okay with cutting someone off when they know you so well. He's got someone else now but he still calls to see if I'm doing okay. It was actually him who suggested moving out here in the first place." She mumbled, trying to respond with her mouth full as he had done.  
  
"Can't imagine wantin' to talk ta an ex like that." He sounded dumbfounded.  
  
"I try not to think of him as an ex..." She mumbled.  
  
"Yeah I guess ya got a point..." Guzma muttered, finishing his sentence by stuffing the last of his burrito into his mouth. His face was unpleasantly warm from the burning in his throat, those damn hala-whatsits had been pretty spicy after all. "...'Bout not wantin' to lose a good mate..." He coughed, reaching for the coffee that was unfortunately his.  
  
It helped a little but it was so bitter, Guzma tried not to think about the taste as the spiciness began to disperse.  
  
"Yeah, making friends is one thing, keeping them is a whole other issue, especially when there's a bit more to it..." Hana muttered between mouthfuls. "It's fine, he's happy now and so am I."  
  
"Are you?" Guzma sputtered, finally having enough and reaching for her drink to clear out the taste. Hana's coffee thankfully was a sweetened mocha and she yelped as he snatched it up.  
  
"I'm... Hey! I know you didn't want yours but what the hell?!" She cried, trying to snatch it back but he turned sideways and blocked her with one arm. "Ugh! You're the worst!" Hana grumbled, scrabbling for purchase and finding none, he was strong.  
  
"Ha! Told you, princess!" Guzma laughed, handing her now half empty coffee back to her. Hana was pouting and curled up to nurse her cup. "That's pretty good stuff." He teased.  
  
"Hmph!" She huffed taking a sip. "I'll get you your own next time."  
  
"Next time? Who says there's gonna be a next time?" He laughed, pulling her into his chest as she looked at him sadly and rubbing his knuckles along the top of her head to let her know he was joking. Surprisingly, she didn't protest or fight back this time, simply relaxing in his grip and sipping her coffee until it was finished.  
  
Bandit had slumped down in front of them, obviously wanting a second bowl but stretching out on his belly when he realised he wasn't getting one. Li had finished eating too, collecting the remainder of the dishes and setting them on the counter, deciding they wouldn't fit in the overflowing dishwasher.  
  
"Alright, I know, I know!" She called to him, though Li didn't talk, or even grunt to let her know. "We should head to the store this afternoon." Hana sighed.  
  
"Mhmm." Guzma hummed, spacing out again as his fingers lazily trailed through her messy hair. "Mind if I have another shower?" He asked, looking down at the lazy slob in his lap.  
  
"Go ahead." She replied quietly, having enjoyed his clumsy ministrations. "Just let me pee first."  
  
"Sure thing, princess." He winked at her as she wriggled out of his grip, poking her tongue out as she headed to the bathroom.


	4. People Like Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gotta go out some time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Foul language.

"Hey, princess?" Guzma asked as Hana stepped out the bathroom, wrapped in a large fluffy towel with another twirled around her head.  
  
"Mhmm? What's up?" She asked curiously  
  
"Um... So I kinda need smokes. But uh, I don' got any ID..." He started as she clutched her towel, wondering how he would react if she just dropped it right there.  
  
"You smoke?" She asked, her voice picking up slightly at the idea.  
  
Guzma had expected her to act disgusted at the thought of buying him smokes. He nodded nervously, expecting her to scold him for the disgusting habit.  
  
"Oh thank fuck. Yes, we'll get some smokes, jeez I've needed one for a while but couldn't seem to find any!" She trilled. Well, she had kind of wanted to quit for good, but they were pretty decent at calming her down when she needed it. Just one pack, she told herself, drawing a line.  
  
"You? An ashtray mouth? Nah!" He dismissed the idea with a wave of his large hand.  
  
Hana only giggled in response, disappearing behind the partition.  
  
"You shouldn't smoke!" He huffed.  
  
"Neither should you!" She called back, switching on a hairdryer to drown out his grumblings.  
  
Finally she managed to get her hair dried and styled, dressed herself for going out and flicked a little mascara over her eyelashes. Not too much, she told herself, glaring down at the worn out stump of what had been an eyeliner pencil long ago. She should probably have thrown it away months ago.  
  
Hana smiled as she rounded the partition, looking down at Guzma as he sat on the couch, his face looked much better today. The swelling had gone down significantly around his eyes in the last week and he looked, almost handsome. "Well, we'll just make it a quick trip, okay?" She hummed, picking up her bag and dropping her house keys inside.  
  
-  
  
Guzma showed her the way to the proper supermarket, a little further away than Hana had ventured on her own. It was strange to be out in the daylight but at least the company was good.  
  
Several people were staring at them as they made their way through town, did they recognise her? Professors were known for talking way too much about their protégés, had Elm been up to his usual bullshit?  
  
Guzma simply bowed his head and stared at the ground angrily, wishing that people would find something better to do as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. He was surprised when she had gotten dressed in such a way, but almost grateful, it meant he stuck out less.  
  
Hana still felt like such an outsider, could they see the tattoos sticking out of her cardigan? She had worn a more familiar one today, pale grey-lavender with black spider web patterns over the back and shoulders. That yellow one had to go.  
  
Her dress was a little more comfortable too, black, knee length and floaty around the waist. The socks she wore looked out of place, but they came up high enough to hide the tattoos on her ankles. She bent down every now and then to check them or pull them back up.  
  
Hana collected a basket from the front of the store and motioned for Guzma to take one too. She didn't really fancy pushing a trolley around or imply that she was going to buy the whole store. He would probably get upset again if she bought too much.  
  
She made her way straight past the 'fresh' section, not wanting to bother with preparing any of it, she would just buy frozen stuff and the freezer was accommodating enough. Hana didn't really care what she ate, as long as her Pokémon were fed well, that was good enough for her.  
  
Guzma followed her around cautiously, not wanting to tell her what to buy or anything like that. But if she wanted to buy something heavy like soda or juice he could carry it for her.  
  
"So uh... what's all this then?" Guzma finally asked, pointing to the tiny concave scars around her mouth and cheeks. The small holes hadn't been dimples as he had thought before, now under the bright flourescent lights of the supermarket, he could tell what they actually were.  
  
"A mouth." Hana said sarcastically, snapping her teeth shut just centimeters from his finger.  
  
"Nah the holes." He mused.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know." She winked, turning back to the shelf.  
  
"Did you have some piercings or somethin'?" Guzma asked with a smile, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Maybe." She hummed in response.  
  
"Looks like ya had a few." He offered eagerly.  
  
"Mhmm." Hana hummed again in a casual reply.  
  
"But you took 'em out?" He asked, awkwardly holding the basket for her.  
  
"Not all of them." She muttered, reaching for a box of Pokémon shaped crackers and tossing them in the basket.  
  
"Bit of a punk then?" Guzma grinned, he had noticed the small silver tunnels in her ears as the wind blew her hair back on the way into town. How had he not noticed before? Perhaps he was too busy staring at her mouth last time she had her hair tied back. "I got these..." He grinned and began to lift up his shirt to show off the tiny silver bars through his nipples.  
  
"I know." She cut him off, having felt them briefly as she had checked him for broken bones that first night. They were certainly interesting but it was rude to ask to see those sorts of things, besides, his lower abdomen was still in a bit of state.  
  
"Oh yeah. So you still got any?" Guzma asked flirtatiously, dropping his shirt back down and frowned as she turned away, tucking her hair behind her ears. Hana reached up to her nose to flip down her septum piercing and made sure it was clean before turned back to him with a smile.  
  
Hana did indeed look a bit different with the silver tunnels, multiple studs and rings in her upper ears and now a silver ring through her nose. And now with the little black dress, cute socks and black, thick soled sneakers she had dug out of the hall-table, she looked kind of gothic.  
  
"Wow." Guzma said quietly. He had to admit, she looked pretty good with the shining silver jewelry against her lightly tanned skin.  
  
"Look." She sighed, shrugging her hair back over her ears and tucking the piercing away again. "No-one took me seriously when I looked that way, the clothes people could deal with but the... besides, I got tired of always having to dye my hair."  
  
"You had dyed hair too?" Guzma said, sounding embarrassingly hopeful and turned his face away to browse over the shelves.  
  
"Still do, just nothing bright. Obviously you bleach yours, could do with a touch up." Hana gave him a smug look, changing the topic back to him and Guzma's hand automatically went to his mop of messy white hair.  
  
Of course the roots were growing out and if she knew anything about hair styling she would have noticed.  
  
"Huh? It's not that bad yet." He huffed.  
  
"Rubbish. It's been what, two months since you last did your roots?" She asked, rounding the corner to the next aisle.  
  
"Uh, yeah. So?" Guzma wondered how she knew that.  
  
"Let me fix it for you." Hana grinned, looking slightly eager at the idea.  
  
"You a hairdresser or somethin'?" He asked, trying not to sound too interested in being pampered by his new friend.  
  
"For a while, I mostly just did my own, it's much easier to do someone else’s." She hummed, some far-away look in her eyes. "I do hate it when people let their colours grow out.  
  
"Yeah fine whatever. Just don't fuck it up." He grumbled, slightly annoyed but kind of looking forward to it.  
  
"I won't." Hana trilled happily, practically skipping over to the beauty aisle and swiping several products into the basket she carried, men's razors, body wash, deodorant and finally, hair-bleach.  
  
"Ain't that stuff kinda shit?" He grumbled, looking the boxes of product she placed in his basket.  
  
"Nah, you just have to know what to expect. It's just the roots anyway." She muttered, of course it wasn't the best stuff around but she had worked with box dyes for a long time.  
  
She was somewhat used to taking care of runaways, mostly friends crashing at her place as she had done many times as a kid. Clearly Guzma had taken off with very little, only carrying what he had in his pockets.  
  
"Hey! Don't get stuff for me, I ain't a kid." Guzma frowned at the products, that were clearly for men, in her basket.  
  
"You're a mess, I won't have you walking around looking like a homeless person." She hummed.  
  
"Why do you care?" He asked dejectedly. Of course she’d want him to change if he was ever going to have a chance with her.  
  
"Because I think you'll look nice cleaned up a bit." Hana offered softly, his face looked much better than it did when she had first found him.  
  
"Aww hell, I ain't going straight 'n' narrow for no-one." He huffed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Never said you should, but you could do with a shave." Hana smiled.  
  
"Hmm." He muttered, feeling over his several day old stubble. It did look pretty bad as it got longer, never quite growing the way he wanted it to.  
  
"Not too much though..." She said with a thought, turning back to the shelf and picking up a battery operated razor with a trimmer at one end and tossing that in the basket. Hana turned to regard Guzma for a moment, he had a nice jawline and looked good with a little bit of stubble, it had just gotten a bit wild.  
  
Eventually Guzma had wandered off, apparently bored at the entire situation when Hana heard a commotion from somewhere off in the large store.  
  
"Fuck do ya want?" Hana heard Guzma’s voice from a few aisles away, getting louder.  
  
"Ain't so big and bad now, are ya?" A young man sneered, obviously directed at Guzma.  
  
"Finally hanging around wif a girl who ain't a total lesbot?" Another young man leered at him.  
  
"Wha's it to ya?!" She heard Guzma’s rage induced reply.  
  
'Oh no' Hana thought, following the voices.  
  
"If ya know what's good for ya you'll just leave the poor girl alone. No-one wants to be near ya. Waste of space!" A male voice called followed by several others.  
  
"Again, wha's it to ya? Fuck off outta my business." Guzma’s voice spat as he came into view near the checkouts. Several feet away were a group of young boys and girls, in leather jackets and probably belonging to a biker gang, all laughing and jeering at him.  
  
"Baaabe... there you are!" Hana called across the aisle, waving happily as she came into view. "I need your help to reach something!"  
  
"Got your girlie-friend to stick up for you now Guzma? This is a new low." The teens chuckled.  
  
"Stay out of this, princess." Guzma said through gritted teeth at his companion, his hands curling into tight fists. But Hana wasn't going to back down now.  
  
"Baby, you're so tall and strong, I really need your help!" She said loudly as she approached, taking his hand in hers and stroking her thumb over his wrist. "Sweetie, this is way more important than talking to a bunch of kids."  
  
"Aww look! The washed up loser's pussy whipped! Ahahahaa!" One of the youths jeered at them as the group broke into laughter.  
  
Hana placed her hands on either side of Guzma's shocked face, pulling him down for what looked like a kiss. Just before their lips brushed together, out of sight of the onlooking teenagers.  
  
"Make this look believable." She whispered against his mouth, smiling as she felt strong arms wrap around her body.  
  
"What the fuck are you doin'?" Guzma whispered angrily, his eyes opening only a little to glare at her.  
  
"Calm down. Don't get us kicked out." She replied, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.  
  
"You're gonna get us kicked out." He sighed, rubbing circles on her back.  
  
"Getting in trouble for pda isn't as bad as getting kicked out for fighting. They'll get bored of watching us eventually, just ignore them." She replied, tilting her head and carding her fingers through his hair, her upper arm continuing to block the view of their mouths and lack of actual contact.  
  
"You sure about this?" Guzma whispered, amusement in his voice.  
  
Their mouths were moving just enough for it to look as if they were just a normal couple making out in the grocery store.  
  
After a few moments of simply exchanging breath, Hana heard the youths begin to walk away, groaning.  
  
"Guys, this is a family store! Come on, break it up, I'm gonna have to give you a verbal warning." A middle aged man in a store uniform called over to them.  
  
"Oh I'm so sorry, Sir! It won't happen again!" She called back, picking up her shopping basket.  
  
"Shall we?" Hana smiled at a panting and slightly turned on Guzma and continued back down the aisle she came from.  
  
"I feel like I should be mad at you for that." Guzma grinned, following closely behind her.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Hana smiled, placing her hand on his forearm. "A warning is better than a ban though, right?" She said with a wink and returned to her shopping.  
  
She was somewhat nervous as she neared the checkout area, hoping that the manager hadn't been called down from the office to kick them out. Guzma was milling around at the front of the store, looking at packets of gum and chocolate bars. He had had to leave her with both baskets, unfortunately the one he was carrying was particularly heavy and was an issue to get onto the conveyor.  
  
"And some cigarettes, please." Hana asked politely, pointing at the packet of her usual’s in the stand behind the young man.  
  
"I'm gonna need to see some I.D... a-and for the beer." The cashier boy said automatically, pressing the button for a superior to check her card for fraud.  
  
"Sure thing..." She smiled, finding her wallet in the bottom of her bag, an older, tired looking man in a short sleeved shirt and tie wandered over nervously to look at her I.D. card.  
  
"Look, I'm really sorry about before. Um, here's something for you to share between all the workers who saw or heard anything innapropriate." Hana started at the flustered cashier and his superior, surely the entire store had heard her outburst.  
  
"Um... yes, miss." He said awkwardly, avoiding her gaze as he added up the total and read it to her.  
  
"Ma'am there's really no need for that. Those kids are always comin' in here and stealing stuff..." The superiors voice sounded dull and tired, like he had all but given up on his job here.  
  
"It won't happen again, I promise." She smiled, flicking through her wallet and producing a large handful of notes.  
  
"T-thank you miss!" The cashier stammered, ogling the wad of cash she had handed over to cover the shopping, more than twice the value of what they had bought. "But I can't possibly..." He began, the superior just stared from Hana to the cashier and then at Guzma.  
  
" _For your trouble, share it around._ Really, I don't want you to think poorly of me." Hana nodded, steeling her gaze. People always liked her money, even if they didn't like _her_.  
  
The cashiers superior shrugged and took the money, separating the extra cash and pocketing it for later. He definitely wasn't paid enough by his own manager to deal with those damn teens. He gave her a nod and a grunt of approval before walking away to the office to count and divide out the cash.  
  
"Of c-course, miss! H-have yourself a great day, miss!" He sputtered as Guzma picked up the bags, red-faced from the amount of money his companion had just sitting around in her purse.  
  
"I hope these are okay." Hana muttered as they turned to head back to her apartment, taking the packet of cigarettes from her purse and flicking the bottom to push a few out.  
  
"Yeah whatever's fine. Menthols are okay I guess." He shrugged, wishing she hadn't gotten that particular brand. He was in no position to complain, a smoke was a smoke after all.  
  
"Tsk." She hissed, flicking a lighter that she had somehow produced and taking a long drag. Guzma watched curiously, waiting for her to cough and admit that she wasn't actually a smoker. Again to his surprise, she inhaled it deeply, flicking off the tip and letting it out as she spoke.  
  
"Fuckers better not mess with us again." She growled, eyeing the youths who were hanging around in the alley to their left behind the store. The teens were awkwardly shuffling, avoiding her gaze and kicking at the ground with their hands in their pockets.  
  
"Can I have one?" Guzma asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Your hands are full." Hana muttered, taking another long drag and walking closer. When she had finished she adjusted the cigarette between her fingers and reached up to place it in front of his lips without so much as a second glance.  
  
Guzma almost moaned in relief at the gesture, closing his eyes and pressing his mouth to the end. He closed his eyes and took a long drag as his lips brushed her slender fingers, soft and warm. It had been days since he had had a smoke, but not wanting to push her after what he saw in the store, he tried to be polite about it.  
  
Clearly Hana was not everything that she appeared to be on the surface, having switched so quickly from walking calmly down the aisles to pretending to kiss him and then being nice to the cashier.  
  
Nice enough anyway, she had clearly bribed them into not calling the police and banning them from the store. Not to mention looking the other way when she was clearly buying smokes for him, had they found he didn't own any photo identification, they would have refused the sale.  
  
But where had all that money come from?  
  
He finished taking a drag, leaning back a little to enjoy the feeling of head rush and she put the smoke back between her own lips. Hana continued the one-puff-pass routine, walking in silence and Guzma mulled over the days events in his head.  
  
"Thought you wanted it to be convincing?" Guzma said sarcastically once they had gotten far enough down the trail.  
  
"Hm?" Hana perked up.  
  
"Back there in the store..." He continued, watching her cheeks flush pink as her hand came up to cover her mouth in horror.  
  
"Ohh right. Shit, I'm so sorry about that!" She pleaded.  
  
"Why didn't you though?" He teased, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Huh?" Hana gasped. "Well... that would've been a bit rude wouldn't it? Either way, I crossed a line..."  
  
"Nah, it's all good. Weird but fine." He chuckled.  
  
"I just reacted, thought you'd calm down." She groaned, palming her face.  
  
"And your first instinct was to act like my girlfriend and pretend to kiss me?" Guzma grinned smugly.  
  
"I don't know... it worked didn't it? And I didn't so no harm done right?" She asked, frowning.  
  
"A'ight. Weirdo." He grinned, elbowing her gently in the side.  
  
Hana stubbed out the cigarette on the top of a nearby bin and tossed it inside before they reached the lobby doors. Guzma noticed as she reached up to unlock the door that she had put in one side of her previously unseen headphones as she turned to let him in, holding the door so that it didn't close on him.  
  
"Help me put all of this away, will you?" She added, letting the door swing shut behind him.  
  
"Sure, if I can have another smoke?" He grinned, not wanting to admit how impressed he was at how she had handled everything.  
  
"Of course." She replied, falling into a routine as if they had been doing this for years.  
  
Hana, to Guzma’s horror, had picked up even more items in his short absence that were clearly not for her. He placed them on the kitchen bench with a frown and a groan, a few extra pairs of socks and a two-pack of black cotton boxer shorts that looked to be the perfect size for him.  
  
Hana noticed his sour expression as she heaved a box of beer away in the small fridge, how had he carried all of this stuff so easily?  
  
"You don't have to keep them, but your socks _have_ to go in the bin. They're disgusting." She huffed at the thought of them. "Anything you don't take with you will go there too when you leave." She said, a hint of sadness touched her face.  
  
"You want me to go?" Guzma growled.  
  
"Do you want to go?" She asked, of course he could leave whenever he wanted.  
  
"Not really..." Guzma grumbled, loathed to admit that the previous events were actually pretty fun.  
  
"Then stay for a few more days, just until you figure out what you wanna do." Hana nodded, her face unreadable. "I need to fix your hair anyway, it might take a few goes to get it white." Family trouble, not too uncommon, she thought to herself.  
  
"Fine." Guzma groaned, trying to sound casual.  
  
"Alright, that's everything. Let's go have a smoke." Hana said quietly, walking to the glass door of the balcony and struggling to push it open.  
  
It must've been stuck, Guzma smiled as he followed her, took the handle and gave it a firm push, opening it somewhat easily. He waved his arm out of the open door as a butler would, but with the most smug expression on his face.  
  
"Thanks." Hana said with a frown, stepping out and pulling two smokes from the packet without another word. Grateful that most of her Pokémon were in their balls at the moment, Li would have a fit if he knew she was smoking again.  
  
He would no doubt smell it on her and refuse to look at her for days, but she would deal with that later. Li was such a health freak sometimes, huffing and puffing when she ordered takeout meal after takeout meal. He could eat rice and beans for eternity for all she cared, she would _not_ be doing the same.  
  
Hana leaned over the balcony, despite the two chairs and small table with an ashtray in the center. Guzma followed, taking the cigarette eagerly and lighting it, mindlessly pocketing her lighter.  
  
He thought about sitting down in one of the chairs but as he looked closer, noticed that they were rusted through and would likely crumble under his weight. Deciding against trying his luck, he moved to stand beside her and lean on the railing, subconsciously mirroring her body with his.  
  
"Princess?" He asked her once the door was firmly shut to keep Dolly from following them into the cloud. "Where'd all that money come from? You steal it from somewhere?"  
  
"Nope. Savings." Hana replied, she sounded a little angry at the accusation.  
  
"Parents rich or somethin'?" Guzma offered.  
  
"Nope." She said, brushing off the question, she wasn't annoyed at him, she was just still grumpy about those damn biker kids. Were they the same ones who beat him up last week?  
  
"So uh..." He began and Hana sighed, reaching for her wallet again.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, I wasn't askin' for any!" He started but she shook her head and flipped open a panel to reveal a folded section that dropped down from the weight of six lines of eight small metal badges.  
  
Guzma couldn't help but stare open-mouthed as she flashed him the badges, a full set from every nearby region, all glistening under the midday sun.  
  
"You were a Champion?" He gasped finally, kicking himself for sounding so awestruck. The last thing Guzma wanted was to sound like a crazed fan boy.  
  
"For a while, but I hated the job. It was so much damn work and I was only a kid. Kids need time to bum around you know? So that's what I'm doing now, sent some to Mom, saved plenty away and moved out here for some peace and quiet." Hana sighed.  
  
"So you came here to be a bum? Make plenty of bum friends and do nothin'?" He grinned, bumping her with his shoulder in a friendly way.  
  
What was coming over him all of a sudden? Guzma shrugged the thought off casually, turning back to the rolling ocean view and taking another long drag from his almost finished cigarette.  
  
"I feel like I can relax around you, y'know?" Hana said suddenly, letting out a long smokey sigh and leaning against Guzma's shoulder.


	5. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Implied psychological trauma (??)

"Sleep in here tonight." Hana sighed from the partition as Guzma settled on the couch, fluffing up the pillow as best he could. His neck would hurt again tomorrow morning but it was better than sleeping under a bush or in a cardboard box, in the rain...  
  
"Whoa, what!?" Guzma panted, turning to face her and throwing up his hands, it was such a blatant invitation.  
  
"Just do it." She huffed, her pouting lips doing nothing to hide her blushing cheeks.  
  
"You orderin' me or...?" He teased, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Look, no funny business, we're both adults and I don't want to hear you complaining about how small the couch is, but I want my bed back." Hana huffed.  
  
"A'ight, a'ight, I ain't complaining." Guzma held his hands up in defeat. What could Hana possibly see in him that would make her want him in her house, in her bed even? But he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the idea.  
  
Cautiously he followed her into her room behind the sheer panel, watching her hungrily as she pulled off her leggings that she had changed into after their awkward exchange on the balcony.  
  
He finally noticed them, tattoos, all over her upper arms and thighs. Guzma watched in silence as she undressed for bed, keeping his hands in his pockets and cursing himself for feeling nervous. He would ask to see them in the light some other time.  
  
So that's why she covers up, he thought, biting his cheek as she reached back to un-clip her bra, sliding it out through the arm of her shirt, tossed it into the pile and settled onto one side of the bed. Even the two fake ones that he had had brought far too much negative attention on the small island. He would have noticed more had it not been for the incredibly dim light in the room.  
  
"Uh... Should I take mine off too?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, trying to play it cool.  
  
"Just get comfortable." She sighed sleepily, pulling the sheet up over herself and flipping it back on the empty side of the bed, showing him which side was his.  
  
Guzma leapt into action, unzipping his jacket and pulling off his shirt. When he finally got down his boxer shorts, he looked down at Hana, who was facing away from him. A sign that he should probably leave them on, they hadn't actually kissed yet.  
  
As he finally settled, facing the wall and trying not to take up so much space, Guzma kicked himself for the blush spreading over his cheeks. When had he become shy around girls?  
  
"C'mere." A small noise pulled him from his stupor.  
  
He rolled over, Hana still had her back to him but had turned her head to give him a small smile, another invitation. Almost too excitedly, Guzma shifted closer to her sleeping form, pressing his chest against her back and curling around her smaller body. Hana made another small noise and reached back for his arm, draping it over her waist.  
  
He should've realised that she wasn't really that shy about touching him, maybe she even enjoyed it, he thought. She was just so damn cute when she wanted to be, and now she wanted to be cuddled? Guzma wondered how he had gotten so lucky right after being so unlucky in that alleyway last week. He didn't believe in fate, at least he never thought he did until now.  
  
"Fix that please." She whispered, reaching back to tap him on the hip.  
  
"Huh?" Guzma mumbled, quickly drifting off in the comfortable bed, nuzzled into the dark hair splayed out over the back of the pillow and wrapped around a gorgeous woman.  
  
"You're poking me." Hana said softly, and he grunted, wrenching his arm free to re-adjust himself in his boxers before putting his hand back where it was, not so subtly grazing over her breast as he did.  
  
A year ago he certainly wouldn't have been holding back like he was now. Listening to her quiet breathing he vaguely imagined flipping her onto her back, mashing his lips against hers, stripping all of her clothes off and taking her right there. Kind of like he did in the grocery store, just for a moment. But as her hand returned to cover his he felt something different, something strange as he lay wrapped around Hana.  
  
Of course, if you treated a girl right, you could come back for round two, or three or even... Not that she needed any help, but maybe he could do something to pull his weight? For however long this lasted anyway, and before she got sick of him and tossed him out onto the street again. Return the favour.  
  
Maybe tomorrow he could battle some tourists and earn enough money to take her somewhere, or rent a movie and buy popcorn or something she might like more than going out. She didn't seem the type to like fancy restaurants, and he certainly wouldn't be welcome, but he could do... _something?_  
  
Yeah, he would try to do something nice for her tomorrow, Guzma thought to himself as he slipped a leg between her knees, enjoying the softness of her shaved legs against his. He would do his best to keep his hand where it was and hoped that he wouldn't grope her in his sleep.  
  
This was a good thing they had going here, surely he would find a way to ruin it, ruin it like he did to everything good in his life. Sure they had met under strange circumstances, but he had to get lucky some time, right?  
  
-  
  
Same nightmare as it ever was, Aether foundation, orders, defeat, wormhole, follow her anywhere, _of course_ he would follow her anywhere just to be by her side. Then, darkness, monsters, more darkness. He couldn't see, couldn't feel anything until, fear.  
  
Paralysing fear. He could hardly breathe, his heart was pounding out of control. Emptiness, words and symbols he couldn't understand. Someone was talking, whispering but then they weren't, it wasn't a language and it was? He didn't understand, he couldn't understand any of it. Why was this still happening?  
  
Something was holding him, he called out for her but she wasn't there. Somehow he pulled himself free this time, sometimes he could. He ran and ran until this lungs burned but there she was. He tried to warn her, the beasts were more dangerous than they had thought, she had to be careful, he had to keep her safe from these monsters.  
  
Everything was blurry, faces and garbled voices, telling him he was useless, a nobody, human garbage, he should just die.  
  
"You were a pawn, Guzma. You never meant anything to me!"  
  
"You're no goddamn son of mine! Get out of here!"  
  
"Why won't you just come home, son? I'm sure if you just apologised, he would stop doing this."  
  
"What made you think you could ever complete your trials anyway? You're an awful trainer!"  
  
"You let us down, G, you let us all down."  
  
"What made you think you could even help?"  
  
"Boss, why'd ya run away? Don't ya like us no more?"  
  
"No-one wants to be around you! You suck!"  
  
"F-fuck!" He screamed, fighting with whatever was pinning him down.  
  
Guzma bolted upright, tossing the blankets away as he fought the tentacles, the voices, the giant screaming faces. He was panting hard, having apparently awoken Hana in the night. She was standing by the bedside table, one hand outstretched toward him but a look of fear and horror on her face as she did.  
  
The light was on and he could see that the sheets were soaked through from sweat on his side of the bed. Guzma frantically scanned over her form for any sign that he had hit her in his fit of terror, that would have been the worst thing but it was hard to tell with all the...  
  
"I... um..." She started nervously.  
  
"Did I... Are you... um... hurt?" He asked, tears already pricking his eyes and stinging in the bright light.  
  
"No. I'm fine." Hana shook her heard, her face screwed up with concern. "Do you... um, want a smoke?" She asked softly. Of course it was stupid to ask if he was okay, even if it was the normal thing to ask.  
  
"Y-yeah... let's uh..." He tried to slow his breathing, it was just another nightmare, just another stupid nightmare.  
  
“Wait, just a moment...” Hana said quietly, dashing to the bathroom.  
  
When he woke, Guzma hadn't babbled about monsters, teeth and claws and being eaten alive like she thought he would. He had asked about her, if he had hurt her or frightened her. He was probably terrified of Hana kicking him out after such a display. She needed to calm down a little, show him that she wasn't afraid.  
  
Hana's hands found a clean washcloth and ran the water until it was warm. This is fine, it will be fine, if he doesn't want to talk about it tonight, I'll give him time. She turned off the tap, wringing out the cloth until it was no longer dripping and returned to the bedroom.  
  
Guzma had his hands in his hair, still sitting upright but hunched over, knuckles white. Thoughts raced through his mind, waiting for the screaming to start, she would flip out on him telling him to get the fuck out, never come back, he could have seriously injured her. What should he say, what _could_ he say to justify this?  
  
"Hey, don't do that." She said softly, climbing onto the bed and kneeling beside him.  
  
He was still shaking, sweat beaded across his skin and breaths coming in heavy. Hana gently removed one of his hands from his hair and placed the cloth in his hand, telling him to wipe the sweat from his face and neck. Guzma's eyes were closed as he tried to slow his breathing. Eventually with some encouragement, and threatening to do it for him, he did as he was told.  
  
Out on the balcony, the sea breeze was blowing hard, Guzma had no idea what time it was, probably really early in the morning. He had pulled on his jacket but forgone pants in his rush to get some fresh air. Hana stood at his side, having pulled on a night gown from somewhere, judging from how fluffy it was, it likely wasn't bought in Alola.  
  
She wouldn't ask him to talk about it, not yet, it was obviously pretty bad if it made him punch, kick and scream like that. He had thankfully started shouting before he thrashing around, alerting her quickly that something was wrong. Perhaps she should have tried to wake him sooner but if he had hit her and blamed himself for it...  
  
It wasn't his fault, clearly something had messed him up so badly he needed to fight it. His brain wanted to torture him over something, a mistake he made or something people had just done to him. It wouldn't be the first time she had met someone who had night terrors, and Hana knew he would hate himself if he ever lashed out at her.  
  
That's what the Fighters were for, partially anyway, Li and Mei-Lin helped to teach her to react quickly. How to defend herself if she ever got grabbed or someone tried to take a swing. Unova had plenty of rough parts and she had grown to know the worst of them. The mining towns were definitely the worst.  
  
Guzma was silent as he puffed away on his smoke, shivering slightly at the minty taste and the cold breeze, but he felt better. Hana hadn't taken her hand off his back the whole time, needing him to know that it was alright, she still cared. It would take more than that to scare her away.  
  
Saying nothing was much easier than starting to babble about his troubles, heaven forbid he would start fucking crying again. Guzma just tried to relax into it, enjoying the harshness of the cold breeze and the warmth or what she was doing. He vaguely remembered her saying something quietly, about needing a proper rest, come back to bed, that she was fine and wasn’t afraid.  
  
Feeling exhausted, he just accepted it for now, being too tired to argue or come up with a decent reason to leave. Guzma didn’t want to go, not yet anyway. He would find an excuse to leave this place tomorrow. She would come to her senses and realise how dangerous he was tomorrow morning.  
  
Eventually Hana pulled him back to bed, shrugging off her fluffy gown and settling into his arms. Her chest pressed against his and her arms cradled around his head, holding him gently and whispering softly that he was safe here.  
  
Guzma had no idea how to react, scrunching his face and trying not to cry. What had he ever done to deserve this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short, I wanted to let the actions speak more than the dialogue in this one.


	6. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana wants to do something nice for Guzma today, to take his mind off whatever had bothered so much last night. Hana still felt safe, and even when he started lashing out she still didn't feel like she was in danger. He needs to know that.

The warmth was almost unbearable, something soft shifted in his arms, made a cute noise as it stirred. Hana hadn’t gotten up to open the windows yet, no wait...  
  
"Mmm, Good Morning Guzma." A small voice came from somewhere nearby.  
  
"Hmmm." He groaned, stretching his legs, his feet almost reached over the edge of the damn bed.  
  
Oh yeah, he had slept with _her_ last night, not on the couch and not like that. Damn, he cracked an eye open to see her scooting away and getting up, first reaching for the window and then stretching as she looked out towards the Shopping District.  
  
It had been nice to sleep in the bed again, and with such good company. Oh crap, he thought, adjusting himself as she watched the passers-by. He was, as usual in the morning, standing at attention. Rolling onto his stomach to hide it, Guzma groaned into the pillows.  
  
Hana's morning routine was starting to become familiar, moving out into the living room, scooping out bowls of food and letting out her Pokemon, grumbling about not having a coffee machine and ordering more junk food for breakfast. Maybe she just didn't know how to cook, couldn't be bothered slaving over the small stove in this heat or maybe she was just lazy like he was.  
  
Guzma finally dragged himself out of bed, not wanting to be rude after all she was doing for him. He probably shouldn't still be in it if she was up already. She never pushed him to get up early, usually rolling out of bed at around 10am herself before dashing into the kitchen to dish out food for her pals.  
  
She pulled on her now thankfully, stain-free and dried sweatshirt to go meet the delivery person and amazingly hadn't asked him to leave or made him talk about last night. Hana was on autopilot, setting down the coffees and bacon-burgers with a sweet smile as if she had prepared them herself.  
  
She made small talk about how nice the weather was today as the clouds moved in from the east, casting a miserable grey colour over everything visible from the balcony door. Did Hana really like rain or something?  
  
She finished her coffee in record time, taking away the bowls and setting the dishwasher to run. Her partners had to go away, she didn't want them feeling sick from the smell...  
  
"I’ll fix your hair today." Hana chirped excitedly, obviously in a much better mood than yesterday.  
  
She stood with a groan, her knees making a weird clicking noise as she turned side to side with her elbows out. Hana had more energy this morning, apparently having slept well enough the previous night. How though?  
  
“Hmm?” Guzma mumbled from the couch, still not feeling 100 percent awake and ready to take on the day.  
  
“Just gotta find where Li put my tools...” Hana stood up and started to check cabinets, in the bathroom and finally the last few boxes that she wasn’t able to find a home for in the tiny apartment.  
  
“Right.” Guzma stared into his takeaway coffee, thankful to finally get his hair fixed but also nervous.  
  
It was long enough that it hung down into his eyes, sat weirdly when it was wet and looked terrible with the dark roots. Guzma had forgone looking at himself in the mirror properly for a while now because of it. Damn he was a mess, why did she even want him around? And why wasn't she asking him about last night?  
  
Hana had pulled out a set of combs, a strange black brush that looked more suitable for painting a house than hair, a bowl and clips. She flicked on the extractor fan, not wanting to asphyxiate on the fumes and left the bathroom door and balcony door open for good measure.  
  
Finally setting aside a pair of gloves on the bathroom sink, securing her apron in place and mixing up the chemicals, she called Guzma into the bathroom and told him to bring a chair.  
  
He awkwardly dragged one of the dining chairs over and watched her drape a white towel over the back. She motioned for him to sit, grumbling as he did so and pulled his shirt off. Hana went into autopilot, dabbing a little of the creamy mixture on the inside of his arm before setting to work detangling his messy hair.  
  
Careful to hold it at the roots as she worked, Guzma did his best to stay still as she combed out the knots, wincing only slightly.  
  
"You're remindin’ me o’ Plumes." He muttered, eyes closing as she worked, it was kind of weird to watch her and talk to her reflection.  
  
“Huh?” Hana asked, he had never talked about anyone else before.  
  
“My mate, Plumeria. She did everyone’s hair that was part o’ our group. Chicks wanted pink hair, guys wanted blue.” He offered casually.  
  
“How nice. Does she work at a salon?” Hana asked, glancing at him in the mirror.  
  
“Nah, we were a bit of trouble. I told her she should've tried to get a job in town though." He shrugged.  
  
"Let me know if that starts to itch or burn more than usual." She warned, gesturing to his arm. "We'll have to stop."  
  
"Yeah I know." He grunted, closing his eyes again.  
  
Hana worked quickly, remembering how she would comb and divide the hair into sections, she giggled a little at the sight of Guzma in the mirror with a centre parting. He looked ridiculous.  
  
"Shaddup. It's gonna look fuckin' ace when it's done." He grumbled.  
  
"Sure will." She hummed, reaching over to place the bowl in his hands and pulling on the gloves. "Might need a trim afterwards too." She said thoughtfully, starting at the bottom and painting on the thick mixture, working her way toward the crown of his head.  
  
"You're gonna cut off all your hard work?" He shrugged.  
  
"No, I'm not doing the ends..." She said grumpily, scratching up the back of his hairline towards where she had laid the product. "...They'll break off."  
  
Guzma let out a soft moan as she did so, it usually had a similar effect but he really seemed to enjoy that. Hana pressed her lips together in an attempt not to giggle or grin at his reflection.  
  
"... Anyway, your undercut is growing out. I can do something different with it if you'd like?" She purred, patterns coming to mind.  
  
"Fuuuuck do whatever you want..." He moaned, realising how awkward he sounded. "Um, whatever's cool, I guess." He blushed at the fucking ridiculous sound he had been making and bit the inside of his cheek. Was he really that goddamn starved of affection?  
  
Hana hadn't stopped working until she covered all the black on top of his head with bleach. She checked around the sides for any that might have dripped down, carefully wiping it off his skin and combed the mess into a pile on top of his head.  
  
"Gonna stay in there?" Hana called as she peeled off the gloves and put them in the kitchen bin.  
  
"Yeah, I look fuckin' dumb." He huffed, frowning at the mirror.  
  
"Alright, I'll let you know when... oh you have a watch." She shrugged, he had probably checked the time anyway, not that it mattered with bleach.  
  
He could wash it off when it was pale yellow and she could have another go tomorrow.  
  
"Uh yeah..." He said awkwardly, lamenting that he switched his phone off and left it at his parents house so they couldn't bother him.  
  
After almost two hours of playing with Dolly and an extremely chewed feather-and-stick-type toy, Guzma came stomping out of the bathroom, water beaded on his skin and a towel around his hips. He had actually shaved his face when he was in there, much to Hana's surprise.  
  
She had laid out a razor for him but didn't expect him to actually use it. She was going to use it to shave her legs when he left, 'men's' razors left them feeling a little smoother than 'women’s' ones. Damn he looked even better without the stubble.  
  
"It's fuckin' yellow!" He growled, pointing to his hair.  
  
"The roots are yes. Your natural colour is very dark, it will take at _least_ one more go to get it white." Hana said matter-of-factly, sitting back on her heels and tapping Dolly on the butt again. "That's why I bought a few boxes..."  
  
"Well fuck, I can't go out like this!" He huffed in annoyance.  
  
"Where would you go?" Hana asked casually, not really asking.  
  
"I... fuckin' hell! You'd better fix this shit!" He groaned, feeling a little let down. He didn't expect it go stark white in two minutes but this looked bloody awful.  
  
"Of course I will, just let your scalp rest for a day and we'll give it another go tomorrow. That'll give me time to find the toner as well." She mumbled, fighting Dolly for the stick so she could make her turn in circles until she got worn out.  
  
"Look's fuckin' awful!" He whined, having stomped back to the mirror for another look.  
  
"I'm not paying for you to go to a fucking salon!" She teased.  
  
"Wouldn't fuckin' ask ya to!" He yelled back.  
  
It wasn't patchy at all like the first few times Plumes had done it or even when he first started to bleach his hair but damn, that was an awful fucking yellow. Hana had actually done a pretty good job aside from that.  
  
"Do you want me to at least trim it so it's not so messy? It'll help me not spill any bleach next time." She offered, tossing the thoroughly chewed toy into Dolly's bed as a signal to chill out.  
  
"Hmph! Fine!" He grunted, slumping back into the chair with a huff. "Should of done that first."  
  
"So picky." Hana sighed, picking up the trimmer that had been charging on the kitchen counter and stood behind him.  
  
"I'm sorry it's not what you expected, look how red your hairline is!" She chastised him, bringing out the guard clips and selecting the longer ones.  
  
"It's fine. Just finish it already" Guzma huffed, crossing his arms.  
  
He flinched, expecting a punch to the back as a towel was draped over his shoulders and Hana fastened it in place around his neck.  
  
"Stop bitching about it." She said calmly, rubbing his shoulder.  
  
It was mostly to dry his skin but also to make him relax. He was being so damn fussy about his hair, it's not like he cared the other day or bothered to use conditioner after all the chemicals. It was a wonder he still had any hair at all, she thought, clipping the longer sections back out of the way so she could work.  
  
At least she could trim off any bits that gotten lighter from touching the bleach, she thought as she followed her usual routine. Short back and sides, trim the top with scissors and a comb. Hana managed to cut off quite a bit of the worst sections, really damaged... well you couldn't really call it hair anymore, it was more like straw.  
  
Guzma seemed to settle a little as she leaned over him to trim his sideburns, the hair there was particularly dark and coarse, kind of like... Stop. She combed it between her fingers, her thighs shaking from the effort to stay hovering over his lap and he opened one eye.  
  
"What?" He frowned, noting how her tongue was pressed flat between her teeth with concentration.  
  
"Almost done." She hummed, moving to the other side.  
  
"Better look good." He warned, not really wanting to shave his head and start all over.  
  
Guzma did his best to sit still and not fidget while she worked, bouncing his leg impatiently as she pulled and scraped the comb over his head to check her work. He probably wanted it choppy, right? Messy, yeah.  
  
"Not yet." Hana warned, yanking away the towel and wiping away the mess at the back of his neck. As she tossed the towel into the wash, she dug around in the cabinet for a tub of styling clay, putting it out on the counter top and warming it between her hands.  
  
"Fuck are you doin' now?" He groaned, thoroughly bored and disappointed with the whole ordeal until she cleared her throat, stepping back and shaking her fingers through his hair.  
  
She worked for several minutes, reaching out to grab a comb to fluff up some sections as she worked to cover the worst of the yellow. Guzma kept his eyes shut, arms folded across his chest and his face set into a scowl, grumbling every now and then about how it almost as bad as before.  
  
"There, now you can hardly see the roots." She huffed, hands on her hips as Guzma stared at his reflection. Hana had tousled and styled it in a way that he could hardly see the yellow roots. It was messy, fluffy and looked...  
  
"Fuckin' dope!" He gasped, leaning forward with his hands on his knees.  
  
Hana just smirked behind him, seeing that she had pulled it off. It had been years since she had had a similar style, albeit it bright red all over and much longer over the top but she knew how to hide awful looking roots. That style had been inspired by her Pokémon evolving at the time, a dual-type Dark-Fighter native to Unova. He was the coolest little guy, didn't take crap from anyone.  
  
"Holy shit, you can hardly even fuckin' tell!" He gawked at the mirror, turning his head side to side to check everything.  
  
"Mhmm." She hummed, wiping off her hands on the hand-towel and turning to leave.  
  
A large hand caught her wrist and she turned back in surprise, her cheeks began to burn. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time someone had offered to pay her with...  
  
"Thanks. Shouldn't of doubted you." Guzma grinned widely at her, he was standing suddenly, moving around the chair and leaned in close to her face. Hana's eyes slid shut as he approached and just as she felt his breath on her lips, he darted to the side and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"You fuck!" She gasped, slapping him on the shoulder.  
  
Guzma let out a loud laugh, enjoying her flustered reaction, he hadn't even noticed the towel slipping from his waist. Not that he would usually care, most girls he had gotten with were incredibly turned on when they saw how big his...  
  
"Ahem." Hana cleared her throat, staring straight up at the ceiling, her cheeks were tinted a dark shade of pink.  
  
"Aw shit." He groaned, grabbing it off the floor and securing it back around his waist. "Now fuck off, I gotta get dressed." He winked, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Jeez, talk about a 180 flip." She grumbled at Dolly who had thankfully settled in her bed by the balcony door. Picking up her phone, Hana flicked through her usual delivery service, wondering what to order for dinner later. She had wanted to find something new and exciting to try for a while anyway.  
  
When he returned, Guzma looked like he ready to go out, Hana had finally been able to convince him to sit around in a towel as she washed and set his clothes in the dryer.  
  
"A'ight, ya bois gonna take you out as a treat. C'mon, get dressed." He said proudly, hands on his hips but still in the same damn clothes.  
  
Didn't he have a change at, well, she guessed he didn't really have a proper home, or maybe even a girlfriend to stay with. He always showed up in the same outfit and now he wanted to go out for dinner, with what money?  
  
"Uh... what?" Hana sputtered.  
  
"I'm gonna wipe the pavement with some tourists and then we're goin' out for a bite. What do you think I meant?" He shrugged, pulling her up off the couch roughly. "Figured we'd start early coz they'll all be so fuckin' intimidated by me! C'mon, you can't sit around here all fuckin' day when ya boi looks so damn cool." He gave her a wide grin, he had pretty good teeth for a homeless guy...  
  
"Uh, you're welcome?" She hummed, wondering what all of this was even about. Payment for the hair stuff?  
  
"Gotta get my serious fightin' buds outta the box. Uh..." He started, feeling a little nervous about battling with her. "So do you wanna, uh, team up? Go doubles?" He asked, picking at the edge of a Pokéball in his pocket.  
  
"Oh, sure!" She trilled, eager to finally see him in action and jumping off the couch to get dressed for a battle.  
  
Having only seen two of his partners, she wondered what Guzma actually had tucked away in a digital storage box. Thankfully it wasn't quite as warm today as the clouds had come over, Hana crouched down to pull out her favourite pair of cropped jeans, a cropped band shirt and fluffy hoodie. Slipping into her thick soled sneakers she rounded the corner to a wolf whistle.  
  
"Shut up!" She poked her tongue out, maybe it was a little early to show off the tattoos on her lower belly, but battling was about intimidation, making your opponent second guess themselves.  
  
Their opponents would expect dark or ghost types when she dressed like this and for the most part they would be right. Hana's years in the League had come to teach her to cover as many weaknesses as possible. She grinned as she opened the door, picking up her bag and checking over everything, yes, this would be fine.  
  
The trip to the Pokémon Center had her talking strategy, wanting to pick the perfect partners for whatever he had stored away. She gave the Nurse a polite nod as they waited for the PC to be freed up and watched eagerly as Guzma pulled up a single box.  
  
There were two lines of baby bugs, Hana whistled as she saw a low level Karrablast, Ledian and Pineco among some unfamiliar bugs. On another line was a Beedrill, Parasect, some weird looking things she had seen in Kalos but never bothered to learn the names of. The final two lines were filled with mixed full trained Pokémon, Honchcrow, Bisharp, Pinsir, Toxicroak and Scizor. He even had a Liepard and a strange Poison-Water type she hadn't seen before.  
  
"Toxapex. Plumes told me I should get one, they can take a few hits..." He said, feeling a little awkward at his small collection.  
  
Eventually he settled for Pinsir, Bisharp, Toxicroak and Scizor, swapping out Ariados for Masquerain, telling her that they were his best. Hana grinned, she could work with that, checking over the moves they knew, he withdrew them and tucked the compacted balls into his pocket.  
  
His heart dropped when Hana pulled up her account, almost 30 boxes full of all sorts of weird and wonderful Pokémon he had never seen before. She flipped over to two boxes set aside and labelled 'Battlers' and scrolled through her collection. A few caught his eye and caused a deep blush to spread over his face as he read species like Hydriegon, Salamence, Umbreon and Lucario.  
  
"Those are fuckin' rare." He muttered.  
  
"Mhmm. Been all over the place." She hummed, selecting a special Infernape, Heliolisk and a Floatzel. "Do you have a Scizorite?"  
  
"I... huh? Oh nah, no-ones gonna give me that kinda stuff, princess." He huffed, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
"Okay... Almost done." Hana sighed, wanting to see Pinkie Pie the Lopunny again but deciding she'd better not.  
  
"Okay. Got it." She said, pressing a button to store Mei-Lin away and taking out Lifesaver, Ra and Mr Fister, praying that he wouldn't laugh at the nicknames.  
  
As they left the Centre, Hana tossed a small marble to Guzma, giggling as he fumbled to not drop it.  
  
"The fuck's this?" He grumbled, turning the red and grey stone over in his fingers.  
  
"Oh I took something out, earned it back in Hoenn at the Battle Resort. It's just a loaner." She smiled, pulling the Key Stone from around her neck and standing up on tiptoes to put it around his. "Give it to Scizor, he'll like it a lot."  
  
"Oh you've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me!" He groaned, covering his face with his free hand, this chick had more money than brains.  
  
They soon found some tourists willing to battle them, of course the locals were very 50/50 about wanting to face off against the former boss of Team Skull. One half wanted to pound his brain into the dirt for all the trouble they caused and the other half steered clear of him, even crossing the street to avoid him.  
  
The middle aged couple laughed happily, tossing out a Roselia and a Pelipper and out came Pinsir and Mr Fister. Guzma laughed raucously at the name, obviously not understanding the joke as the older couple frowned at the suggestive name.  
  
Mr Fister went first, landing a surprisingly weak looking blow on the Pelipper, looking back at his trainer with a knowing grin in his wide mouth. Pinsir ran for the Roselia, slashing at it with an X-Scissor as he was ordered, dealing a huge amount of damage. The couple looked at the big bug with a frustrated look as the wife ordered Roselia to use Sludge Bomb on Pinsir.  
  
Pelipper was ordered to Stockpile 'one'. Mr Fister repeated the same move, again doing very little to the bird as Pinsir finished off the Roselia with another X-Scissor and the wife tossed out a Torkoal in response.  
  
The Torkoal huffed, smoke beginning to billow out from its shell and nostrils. Mr Fister grinned, knowing that his turn was coming back around and he knew what he would be told to do.  
  
He ran for the Pelipper, leaping into the air and slamming his fist into the birds ribs, sparks of electricity coursed from his fist into the birds body and it cried out in pain. It collapsed to the ground, wingtips singed and smoking a little and its stumpy legs twitching, thoroughly knocked out.  
  
"Darn!" The husband called, returning Pelipper to its ball and tossing out a Glalie.  
  
"Ah, interesting, Hoenn natives I suppose." Hana shrugged, she and her ape-like buddy would be just fine.  
  
Pinsir slammed its foot into the ground, sending a column of sharp stones into the Torkoal's body, moving much faster than his opponent and the turtle curled into its shell, fainting but leaving a nasty burn on Pinsir’s body.  
  
"Damn! Just hold out, buddy!" Guzma called out, trying to encourage the bug.  
  
Hana nodded at Mr Fister and he sprang forward, slamming his fist into Glalie’s face. Flames burst from where he had made contact and erupted around the Ice-Types body, engulfing it entirely. The couple looked on in horror as Glalie dropped to the ground too, unable to move any more.  
  
"Got any more?" Hana called out as Mr Fister readied himself for another round, squatting down a little to lower his centre of gravity and brandishing his fists at the couple.  
  
"Um... No." The husband said sadly, conceding defeat as he called his Pokémon back.  
  
"Uh-uh. Amulet coin." She grinned, pointing at the gold chain around Mr Fister’s neck as the husband pulled out his wallet and sighed, handing a few notes to Guzma.  
  
"Mr Fister?" He teased as they walked away to give the couple some space, poking her in the ribs.  
  
"Iron Fist, more power for punching moves, the first two he used were Power-Up Punches, that's why he knocked those guys socks off once he got started. " She hummed as she pulled out a Super Potion and Rawst berry from her pouch for Pinsir.  
  
The big brute chittered at her as she held up the berry for him to nibble on, rubbing the stem and remaining flesh over the burn to cool it faster and sprayed down his wounds.  
  
"Huh. Good job." Guzma said, feeling a bit out of touch.  
  
He just taught his Pokémon cool sounding moves that seemed to do a lot of damage if they didn't already know four good ones. Wait, wasn't Infernape supposed to have Blaze? Was this guy a thoroughbred? Sometimes Pokémon had different abilities, but starters were supposed to be standard.  
  
"All he knows is how to punch stuff, he loves it! Bit of an idiot-brain, but I love him." Hana cooed, patting the apes shoulder as it walked close to her side, sniffing for treats.  
  
"You seem to have a thing for idiots." Guzma muttered to no-one in particular, resting his hands behind his head as they looked for their next victims.  
  
"Ace Trainers! Let's go!" Hana called, perking up with excitement and starting to run for the well dressed couple tossing away some coffee cups.  
  
Guzma dashed after her, damn she and her monkey moved quick he grumbled under his breath. As he got closer the two Ace Trainers were already grinning and pulling out some expensive looking Pokéballs.  
  
They were quickly thrown into another crazy battle, Hana nudging him to give the stone to Scizor as soon as they started and out came the enemy Pokémon. A large black and blue furred wolf/lion creature and a Machamp.  
  
Guzma didn't know what the hell 'Sparx' was but damn it looked cool. Distracted by the cool beast, he threw out Scizor, not knowing how well the bug would match up against the two others, but Hana seemed to have faith in him.  
  
Hana called out Bandit, laughing as he stomped his feet like a Sumo wrestler when he saw the Machamp. It was a bad match up and Bandit would be pissy for a while but he needed to learn how to lose.  
  
The four-legged beast, Sparx, leapt in first, sending a wave of paralysing energy towards Scizor, causing his wings to twitch and spasm painfully.  
  
"Did you give it to him?" Hana asked nervously, knowing that the Mega-Evolution should have gone off first.  
  
"Didn't have time!" Guzma panted in reply.  
  
"Shit" She grumbled, crossing her arms as Bandit lunged forward, slashing across Machamp's bare chest with his sharp claws, leaving a haze of blackened smoke in its wake.  
  
Machamp came back in swinging with a hard chop straight into Bandit's chest. The big idiot went flying, rolling over a few times and he skidded to a halt by Hana's feet. "Sorry buddy. That was bad." She frowned, calling him back and sending out Lifesaver to replace him.  
  
Scizor was unable to move that turn, his metallic limbs painfully stiff from the Thunder Wave. Thankfully Sparx was still intent on taking down Scizor, biting hard into its shoulder with electrified fangs. Machamp went for a kick to Lifesavers knees but he dodged it quickly.  
  
Scizor struck the Sparx right in the face with an Iron Head, making it spring back and shake its throbbing head from the blow. Finally allowed to go, Lifesaver was ordered to use Aerial Ace on the Machamp, jumping up and turning in mid-air to launch the attack from his twin tails and cutting into the Machamp’s body with a blast of air.  
  
Finally realising their mistake, the trainer who owned Sparx ordered it to attack Lifesaver with a Thunder Fang, making him feel awful and dropping to his knees. Machamp lunged again for the little weasel, knocking him out and Hana called him back.  
  
"That didn't go so well." She frowned, Lifesaver was a little rusty, but he listened to her well, understood what she wanted and usually got the job done.  
  
"Scizor, return!" Guzma huffed, having enough of the slow mantis and sent out Masquerain, he didn't have much choice but he could at least deal with the Machamp.  
  
Nope, Masquerain was knocked out with a Spark, forcing him to send Scizor back out to take a beating. Scizor gave him a pained look as he readied himself to take another battering, the poor bug could barely move.  
  
"Fuck!" He yelled as Scizor finally dropped, having only really gotten one or two good hits in before losing to the two on one battle.  
  
"Well done, you guys earned it!" Hana called out, reaching into her bag to hand over a significant amount of cash.  
  
"The hell was that? Seem like you weren't even thinking!" One of the trainers huffed, snatching the cash away.  
  
"Yeah, haha, guess I'm a little rusty. See you around!" She called after them.  
  
"Yeah right, losers!" They called, walking away to get another coffee and maybe a muffin.  
  
"What the hell was that? You were kickin' ass a minute ago!" Guzma grumbled as Hana set to work reviving and healing their Pokémon.  
  
"It happens to the best of us, it was a poor judgement on my part." She sighed, working quickly to get the poor beasts back on their feet.  
  
The next match up they found was a couple of young trainers who tossed out a Kadabra and a Graveler, to be met by Golisopod and Lifesaver. Lifesaver roared back into action, sending Graveler flying up into the air with a blast of water from under its rocky feet, sending it back to its ball instantly.  
  
"That's better." Guzma groaned as a huge bear with a ring on its chest replaced it in a flash of light.  
  
Kadabra hit Golisopod with a beam of twisted energy, leaving a small scratch on his belly as he huffed from the weak attack and responded with First Impression, knocking the mustached Pokémon on its ass and sending it back to its ball.  
  
A strange bug type Guzma had heard of before came out to take its place, yellow limbs protruding from its hard red and white shell. Lifesaver had another turn, speeding toward the Shuckle with a blast of water and damaging it slightly.  
  
Ursaring threw out a slash at Lifesaver, missing by inches as the springy weasel darted out of the way. Golisopod, unable to use First Impression again, slammed into the Ursaring with Liquidation before returning to Lifesaver's side, grunting that he couldn't dodge as fast as his compatriot.  
  
The Shuckle hit Golisopod with a Toxic attack, causing him to wince as the poison coursed through his body. Lifesaver blasted the Ursaring with a jet of Ice from his mouth, trying to freeze it in place for a few turns. Unfortunately it didn't work and it came back in with a Thrash that hit Golisopod hard, sending it back to its Pokéball at half health.  
  
"Mega Scizor! Mega Scizor!" Hana chanted encouragingly and Guzma sighed, what he supposed to do? Just hold it up? Touch it to the stone Scizor held?  
  
"Scizor! Um... Mega Evolve!" He called to his partner and it turned its head slightly, clutching the little marble in one pincer.  
  
It nodded, a whirl of wind and bright light encompassed its body as the stone around Guzma’s neck glowed brightly with their connection. The ball of energy shattered outwards and Scizor was standing there, a little taller than before and looking almost completely different.  
  
His previously small wings were bigger and slightly tinged blue, he now wore a black crest proudly on his head and his pincers now looked more suitable for cutting down trees and cracking boulders than just crushing opponents.  
  
"Holy shi..." Guzma stared as his friends temporary transformation, completely dumbfounded.  
  
Still a little slow from his heavy armour, Scizor clacked his new pincers together menacingly. The two younger trainers whooped and cheered at the lightshow and how cool everything looked. Stopping only when they realised that they were in serious trouble.  
  
"Scizor, use Iron Head!" He called to his partner, watching it slam its armoured skull into the Shuckle's body. The opponents tried to tuck itself away into the shell but it wasn't fast enough, as Scizor leapt backwards, finishing his turn the Shuckle was in terrible shape.  
  
"Damn..." He muttered in awe at how much stronger his partner was now.  
  
The rest of the battle was a full sweep, Scizor finishing off his opponents with a little help from Lifesaver. The kids looked disappointed but excited to see Scizor’s new form and handed over their cash and offered a handshake to them both.  
  
"That was so cool!" The young boy tittered, apparently unable to think of anything else for the rest of the day.  
  
"Yeah, I don't even mind losing to you!" The slightly older girl who was probably his older sister smiled warmly.  
  
"Yeah well, work hard and you're gonna be as tough as us some day!" Guzma replied nervously, not wanting to discourage the young boy.  
  
"Yeah! I want a Keystone and all the Mega stones when I grow up!" The young lad called as his sister steered them away to visit the Pokémon Center.  
  
"Stay in school!" He called back awkwardly, that was what you were supposed to say wasn't it?  
  
"You don't want to fight a Mega-Alakazam..." Hana muttered, feeding an Antidote to Golisopod as he stared miserably up at her from his slumped position on the ground.  
  
"That was..." He started, remembering that he couldn't keep the new items.  
  
"We'll see about finding you a Keystone." She hummed happily.  
  
"I don' deserve nice things like tha'..." Guzma grumbled, returning Golisopod to the safety of his ball.  
  
"Of course, you haven't earnt it yet. But one day..." She teased.  
  
"Nah." He grumbled, tried to find a couple of trainers who might be weak and have plenty of money.  
  
Eventually something passed in front of Hana that made her stop and pull a face, the Rich Kid from the Cruise ship.  
  
"Miss Flower-Dress! You look uh... casual." He said smugly.  
  
"Wanna fight?" She grunted in response.  
  
"Sure, I'll humour you that, alright..." The boy dug about in his expensive looking satchel and tossed out two Pokémon. An Arcanine and a stuffy looking Manectric.  
  
"I have plenty of 'rares'." He raised an eyebrow, he had noticed that they were going 'doubles'.  
  
"Manectric isn't rare." Hana huffed, tossing out Bandit as Guzma responded with Golisopod.  
  
"Of course you two would have brutish Pokémon." The Rich boy sneered. "Time to teach you a lesson! Raibolt, use Thunder Fang on the bug!"  
  
Two moves later and Amadeus the Arcanine went down, being replaced huffily with a Magnezone.  
  
"That isn't rare either!" Hana called out, having her own, 'UFO', tucked away in a box.  
  
"Nikolai! Shut her up with a Flash Cannon!" The boy ordered his Pokémon to attack to Bandit, the beam slamming into him and leaving him heavily wounded.  
  
"It's okay, Buddy, we've got this." Hana called to her friend, Guzma's Golisopod giving him a nod of approval for standing tough through the attack.  
  
Bandit unfortunately went down after that with a pained look on his face as he dropped into unconsciousness. Hana sent out Mr Fister to replace him, the ape soon flying into action to avenge Bandit and Golisopod. The giant bug was replaced with Scizor now that that Fire-Type was no longer on the field. The weakened Manectric found himself thoroughly battered and bruised as he returned to his ball, having taken down the giant bug the previous round.  
  
The Rich boy gritted his teeth, tossing out a Porygon-Z to join the floating giant.  
  
"Mr Fister! Use Power-Up Punch again!" Hana shouted over the whirring and clicking of the steel-types body as her Pokémon slammed his fist into it, denting its outer shell.  
  
His inner strength building, Mr Fister began to laugh with the energy flooding through him.  
  
The strange creature wobbled and tried to hold itself together, barely managing as it floated there, looking like it was already near fainting.  
  
"Porygon-Z use Psychic!" The Rich boy yelled, ordering his Pokémon to knock out the frustrating ape and palming his face as Mr Fister leapt out of the way of the wide blast.  
  
Tesla blasted Scizor with another Flash Cannon, apparently hoping to do more damage but the bug stood firm, taking the hit with a narrowing of his compound eyes.  
  
Scizor burst forth from the energy ball surrounding him, transformed once again into a Mega-version and cut into the Porygon-Z with a Night Slash.  
  
"It's a Normal-Type..." Hana whispered to Guzma.  
  
"Huh? Aww shit." He groaned, of course it wasn't that effective.  
  
"Fire Punch!" Hana shouted finally and Mr Fister somersaulted, rocketing toward the metal beast and shoving it backwards from the force of his punch. Flames crackled around the Magnezone's body, it's steel shell glowing brightly from the heat. Finally it dropped to the ground, no longer whirring and clicking before being called back to its ball.  
  
"Porygon-Z! Use Psychic again!" The Rich boy called, voice still raised as if to shout over Tesla's metallic body. He hadn't expected these two punks to put up such a fight and was growing frustrated at the idea of losing.  
  
Mr Fister ducked out of the way just in time, a few more inches and he would have been a goner. Finally Mega-Scizor sped forward to slam his skull into the Porygon-Z, finishing off the frail creature as it wailed and trilled, going finally still as it returned to its ball.  
  
"What the?" The Rich boy gasped, wondering if he could simply run away from this embarrassing defeat. Too many people had gathered to watch and he grit his teeth as he felt for his wallet, not taking his eyes off Hana the whole time.  
  
"Amulet Coin." Hana sneered triumphantly, pointing to Mr Fister's glistening necklace.  
  
"Bitch." The Rich boy huffed as he tossed a wad of cash to the ground.  
  
"Watch your mouth, kid!" Guzma spat as his companion picked up the bills and dusted them off. The Rich boy had vanished into the crowd in a chorus of sneers and laughter, shoving his way through with his head down.  
  
"That's better. He bothered me on the Cruise ship over here. He deserved what he got." She grunted.  
  
"Tryin' to get in your pants?" Guzma teased.  
  
" _Trying_." She grinned, dividing the total of what they had earned today and handing it to him. "Let's go get something to eat."  
  
Hana let Guzma show her around the shopping district, finding a nice quiet Chinese restaurant with polite albeit slightly uncaring staff. They ordered and sat in a corner booth in relative silence, Hana scrolling through her phone to check out the photos on the local blog posted by tourists.  
  
"We did pretty fuckin' good as a team." Guzma thought out loud as he nodded to the waiter bringing their drinks over.  
  
"Yeah, you did great!" She smiled, patting him gently on the arm.  
  
"Huh? Oh yeah, thanks." He grinned sheepishly, remembering the stone she had given him that made his Pokémon so much stronger.  
  
Guzma reached for the Keystone and handed it back, promising that he would let Scizor out once they had dinner to give him back his usual Brightpowder.  
  
"Hold onto the stone." Hana sighed, holding her hand out to stop him, the waiter had appeared to bring them their order, placing down the plates as they ignored him, deep in the moment.  
  
"What?" He gasped, pushing aside the chopsticks for a fork, much to Hana's amusement.  
  
"I don't have a Scizor. There's no point in me holding onto it." She shook her head, taking a sip of her tea and letting her food cool a little before diving in.  
  
"You don't have a Scizor?! But they're the best bug that's out there, 'cept Golisopod." Guzma gasped again.  
  
"They're really cool, yeah, but..." She started, looking a little sad.  
  
"But what?" He grunted.  
  
"I tried to get one, but the trainer I swapped with wouldn't give him back. So I don't have a Scizor. It's fine." She hissed, clearly a little upset about the memory.  
  
"That fuckin' sucks." Guzma frowned, stuffing his face as he thought. "Can't imagine you just lettin' 'em get away with that. Well, I mean, til you finally get one, I guess if you can't use it it'll help me earn some money."  
  
"Exactly." She sighed, finally reaching for her chopsticks.  
  
"Gotta pay ya back somehow." He mumbled, his mouth pleasantly full of food. "We'll get you another Scyther real soon. Anyway, you gotta get out more, go get your Island Challenge done and shit. It's what everyone does around here and I know you're gonna smash it." He grinned, shoving a forkful of noodles and meat in his mouth. "Not much else to do around here." He grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I could give it a go..." She frowned, trying to eat at a much slower pace than her companion. Wasn't his mouth burning from eating food fresh out of the wok?  
  
"Kukui's lab is on the beach, not far from here." Guzma grunted. "You should go see him and get started in a few days."  
  
"Another nosy Professor to keep an eye on me?" She teased, chewing carefully.  
  
"He's a prick but he's all we got here." Guzma huffed.  
  
"Alright, I'll think about it." Hana shrugged.  
  
"Thought you were done thinkin' about it." He grunted, did he always talk with his mouth full?  
  
"Kind of." She replied casually.  
  
"Just do it. You'll be great." He huffed. "Oh, and lemme know if he creeps on you, a'ight? I'll sort him out."  
  
"A'ight." Hana grinned back before diving into her now much cooler meal.


	7. Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real challenge today isn't the trial or the battle with a Kahuna at the end, it's something else entirely...

Guzma stepped up to the counter to pay, grabbing Hana's wrist as she pulled out her wallet.  
  
"Nah, ya bois got it. Don't worry about payin'." He said, counting out notes and handing them over, waving away the change just for show.  
  
"You sure? I can cover it." She asked, it was really no problem.  
  
"Yeah. Just chill, I'll walk ya home." He huffed, steering her out of the restaurant before his instinct to go get the change kicked in.  
  
Nobody challenged them on the way back to her apartment complex, apparently having seen enough throughout the day to want to suffer a thorough beating. Hana pulled out her keys ready to unlock the door as they got to the elevator, but something was wrong.  
  
"Not coming in?" Hana asked as Guzma stopped in front of the lobby.  
  
"Nah, got some shit to think about. You have a good night, a'ight?" He told her, shuffling his feet awkwardly.  
  
He had been good today, letting her take the lead and hadn't said anything particularly nasty or stupid. Most of the battles had gone well, really well, and she seemed to enjoy dinner but Guzma didn't know for sure how much longer he could keep it up.  
  
"Okay." Hana sighed.  
  
"Go start your Challenge. I'll come see ya in a few days to make sure. Got it?" Guzma smiled, giving her a poke in the shoulder. "It'll be good for you."  
  
"Thanks for today, I had fun." She said softly, standing up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck.  
  
Guzma sighed, not wanting to leave but he could stay in a cheap motel tonight, not bother her with his shitty attitude, fucking nightmares and just generally burdening her with his existence. Besides, he really needed a smoke, and the money they had earned would allow him to indulge himself in several things and for a few days at least.  
  
Guzma wanted to give more of it back to Hana, she had carried the battles when she wasn't getting her Krookodile's ass kicked. She really should've known better but, well, like she said, even she made mistakes sometimes. And when Hana had gotten serious, she trusted her partners to pull through and they did.  
  
"Behave yourself." He mumbled into her neck, trying not to hold on too tight.  
  
"I'll miss you too." She hummed, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling away entirely.  
  
"Yeah... uh... see you 'round." He muttered awkwardly, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he grabbed her closer again, it was time to go.  
  
"See you soon!" Hana called sadly, watching him walk away with a slouch, giving her a casual wave.  
  
Further down the road, Guzma watched her waiting for the elevator and getting in, walking away before she turned around and saw him.  
  
-  
  
Hana was sad to find herself alone the next morning, letting Li out to keep her company and help with the morning routine. Together they went through a series of moves, Li held her feet as she did sit ups and clapped encouragingly as she tried to do several push ups from her knees.  
  
Li managed about 50 of each exercise as his master panted on the couch. She hadn't wanted to work out for a few days at least, probably not wanting to do them when she had company. Hana filled him in on the previous days events, thought he couldn't speak, he understood some of what she was saying.  
  
"So um, Guzma told me to do this bloody Island Challenge thing, so I need him to shut up about it. It's supposed to be good to do and you guys can get in a proper workout, okay? Um... so can you walk with me to Professor Kukui's lab?" She asked, knowing that Li would simply nod in agreement.  
  
They hadn't walked around much together, he knew she got sad sometimes and didn't want to go out, and Li couldn't talk to strangers if he ever lost his way.  
  
Hana felt a little empty, not from hunger or thirst but something was definitely missing today. She picked her way past the Schoolhouse, groaning at the kids playing outside with their low level partners, teaching sit, stay and the like.  
  
It wasn't long before she found the shack on the beach with a huge satellite bolted to the roof. Several kids were playing outside chatting happily away until they saw her approaching and scattered.  
  
Oh that place would be the first to go if there was a Tsunami, Hana giggled at the idea of a skinny man in a lab coat flailing his arms helplessly as his home washed out to sea in pieces.  
  
Hana noticed a pale-skinned, blonde girl with something white and fluffy in her arms ducking behind the shack as if she had been burned.  
  
"Whatever, I'm not here for you." She muttered to herself, summoning Li back to his ball with a smile to let him know she was alright.  
  
Sure Hana was an outsider but she wasn't that scary, was she? Not anymore anyway, she stood with a wide stance to ready herself for more dumb questions, clenching her fists and relaxing. The sound of waves crashing and rolling onto the beach was calming, she was calm, she _was_ calm.  
  
Giving her limbs a shake out, shake it away, get rid of it, don't need to run, Hana took a deep breath and walked up the sun-bleached wooden steps. It took her an embarrassingly long time to knock, cursing herself to hell and back until finally she heard shuffling and footsteps.  
  
"Professor Kukui, I presume." Hana asked the incredibly casually dressed man who opened the door.  
  
The man was only about an inch taller than Hana, had pleasantly tanned skin down his exposed chest, decent muscle tone, not that she cared to see it the second she met him. He wore a white baseball cap with some logo she didn't recognise, open lab jacket with the sleeves rolled up and light grey sweat-joggers cuffed below the knee.  
  
His black underwear waistband was on show and her eyes politely snapped but to his face before he noticed her face shift. Hana guessed from the tan lines around his eyes that he usually wore sunglasses or even perhaps regular glasses when he went outside.  
  
The man also had one of those 'look how hip I am' goatees and long, black wavy hair that was tied back. She tried not to frown at his casual attire, of course it was hot today, but no shirt?!  
  
"Alola! You must be our new Island Challenger!" He beamed, putting his hands on his hips in stead of shaking as he had wanted.  
  
"Yeah sure." Hana shrugged, grimacing internally.  
  
"Have you just moved here? I haven't seen you around." He asked politely, motioning for her to come inside and register her information.  
  
The upstairs was the living space, with a mezzanine in the far western corner of the room, possibly above the bathroom. Kukui motioned for her to come downstairs to his office, stopping to show off his aquarium. Oh great, oh no, I'm never gonna be seen again, no it's fine, it's just a lab. He can't do anything shady, he's a Professor.  
  
"Can we just get on with it? This isn't my first rodeo." She sighed, clenching her fists for a fight as she followed him down the last steps and over to his desk.  
  
"Of course, my dear. Let me start by updating your Pokédex to..." He started, holding his hand out for her device.  
  
"I've gotten all the info on my phone..." Hana huffed, having read enough about the climate and native species to the Hau'oli area and outskirts.  
  
She kept her eyes trained on the second, smaller aquarium and the Luvdisc floating around inside. Hana would _not_ be sitting down on the black leather couch against the opposite wall by the stairs. No way, she had seen far too many of those videos to know where that might go.  
  
"Ah, eager are we? That's great! Well, I'll just update your Pokédex with the regions maps, good locations to..." He began his usual chat about the Alolan wildness, finding himself cut off curtly as she fished it out of her bag with a huff.  
  
"Sure. Gonna ask me if I'm a boy or a girl?" She grumbled, handing over her old Unovan device.  
  
She hadn't meant to sound so rude, Hana wasn't making a good first impression but from the overly sunny attitude and the way he presented himself, she already didn't like Professor Kukui. Just get in, get set up and go, it'll be fine.  
  
"Um, no." Kukui frowned slightly, trying to keep the welcoming smile on his face. "This is an older model, it might take a few minutes once I find the right cable... Please, take a seat!"  
  
"No thanks, I'm fine." Hana replied, trying to sound calm. The shack was larger than it had first appeared on the outside but shockingly full of the usual tech required for Pokémon Professors and even a small weight training area. She was amazed that it all fit down here, in the much darker basement lab where...  
  
He darted off to far side of the room and pulled open a drawer full of old connector cables and adaptors. It was just a simple question about pronouns, perhaps he hadn't worded it correctly. Or perhaps the previous Professors were still a bit out of touch with how trainers liked to be introduced.  
  
"So um, you here for a vacation?" He offered warmly, returning to his desk with a bright red cable and fixing it into the back of her Pokédex.  
  
"An extended vacation, perhaps." She grumbled, breathing as steadily as she could.  
  
"That's wonderful to hear! Oh right, if you could fill out your full name and details so I can contact you in case of emergencies..." He started, running through his practiced dialogue, gesturing to the tablet connected to his computer by a long cable.  
  
"I already have some Professors that call me regularly." She huffed.  
  
"Oh? Any locals?" Kukui asked politely.  
  
"Uh, no I guess not." She groaned, picking up the device roughly as she quickly filled in her information, finding a new section where she grumpily selected 'she/hers' and pressed 'Complete'.  
  
Kukui's eyes widened as he read the info card that came on his computer screen, he recognised the name almost immediately and her age matched up.  
  
"Johto's most precious flower! I thought you looked familiar!" He gasped, turning to her with an excited grin. "Congratulations on defending your title for such a long time! Your parents must be so proud." He added earnestly.  
  
"Ehh. Thanks." Hana groaned, it was only a matter of time before someone figured it out.  
  
She regretted not changing her name but not finding a new one that suited was the problem, it was trouble to go about to banks, Pokémon Centers and registration offices. She would need to update her Trainer I.D., learn to not answer to her birth name and such...  
  
"I'm honoured to be your guide to our merry little islands!" He grinned, excited despite her apparent grumpiness and handed over the little charm that would signify her as an Island Challenger.  
  
Perhaps she was just tired, in a bad mood or just hiding her nervousness, he thought. The more relaxed attitude of the downstairs lab should set new trainers at ease, no crazy bright lights and a cool, modern couch to sit on while they waited. He was doing everything right, wasn't he?  
  
"Mhmm." She grunted, becoming tired of his energy and fan boy routine already.  
  
Kukui finished up, her Pokédex pinging and restarting with the new information. He had decided against installing a Rotom this time, she didn't seem to be in the mood for talk and perhaps she already had one in her collection.  
  
Johto's precious flower probably didn't need to be babied in such a way as other newcomers did. She was something special, and would be touring around the humble little islands. Gosh she was a breath of fresh air. Or at least who she had been, was a breath of fresh air. He would call Professor Elm later and ask why she was so shy.  
  
"And finally, your Z-Ring, this one the standard bracelet style and of course will be useless until you earn your first crystal. Be sure to have a good connection with the Pokémon who use them, the bond between you is what..." Kukui started, showing her the device and waiting for her to present her arm for him.  
  
"I know, I know, gives the attack it's full power and potential. Alright, off to find Ilima I guess..." She replied, her lips pressed tightly together in discomfort as he fastened it to her wrist.  
  
He tried not to touch her skin any more than necessary as he clicked it securely around her thin wrist. She has lovely skin, he thought, but barely any tan, must have great sun protection products.  
  
"Lovely to meet you miss Flower! I'll be in touch once you've finished your first trial in Verdant Cavern!" He waved the shy girl off with a wide smile, frowning as she simply waved back without turning to look at him.  
  
Hana tossed Li out as soon as she heard the door shut, hugging him tightly, she could have called him if something went wrong but the idea of being brought down into the basement with a stranger...  
  
"No, no, it's fine, I'm just being stupid!" She sobbed into her Pokémon’s rough, cloth covered shoulder.  
  
-  
  
The 'Normal' type trial was simple enough, Hana found the cavern easily and stepped inside for what was probably an easy battle. Ilima had muttered something about being thankful that there were no new surprises in the cavern anymore. Hana brushed it off, wanting more of a challenge and wondering what the surprise might have once been.  
  
At the end of it was a surprisingly large, Alolan variant of what had once been a normal looking Raticate. Here in Alola they were Dark-Type, coming out only at night and sporting dark fur, but the previous evolutions, Rattata were still more squeak than chomp.  
  
Raticate's swollen cheeks twitched as it snarled at her, putting up a somewhat decent fight before collapsing to the ground as Mei-Lin’s High-Jump Kick landed gracefully.  
  
She tried to accept her small, pale crystal graciously, forcing a smile onto her face and bowing low before waving as she walked away. She was told that she could face the Kahuna now whenever she was ready and a new route in the mountains would open up for her access.  
  
Hana stocked up on proper cocoa powder on the way home, reading over some 'secret' family recipes for Tapu Cocoa and memorizing the quantities. She tidied up her apartment, even trying to empty the last boxes or throw away anything no longer needed, setting them aside to trade for cash. It was harder with little motivation but she wanted the place to look nice when he returned.  
  
She lamented not being able to fix Guzma's hair exactly the way he liked, setting out the packets of chemicals ready to go, then thinking better of it, set them under the sink. She wasn't that desperate.  
  
The apartment was quieter, emptier despite her bustling friends, Dolly of course wanted to taste Hana's new item before being told that no, her teeth would break, 'not for you'.  
  
She had had to turn down several young trainers on her journey, most conversations going similarly as the over-confident youngsters sidled up with their Pokéballs in hand.  
  
"Hey! You're a trainer! Battle my Pokémon!" The young trainer would cry out, rushing over to her.  
  
"Nah kid, you'll lose." She would reply sadly.  
  
"I'm gonna win! We wanna win! We're gonna beat you, lady!" The kid would shout excitedly.  
  
"Back off. What level are your pals, roughly?" She frowned, this was the starter Island.  
  
"Uh... 11 and 13?" The kids would reply.  
  
"85, 89, 94, 100, 100. Get lost." She barked, waving them off briskly.  
  
She would have to get the 'Kahuna' fight out of the way in order to head to the other Islands as a trainer, only tourists were allowed to venture around wherever they liked. Island Challengers had to earn that privilege so that they could take on tougher Captains in the correct order.  
  
Hala, she had learned over the local blogs, liked his Fighting types and specialised in them. Hana expected a younger, heavily-muscled man, maybe about 35 or 40 years old as she made her way into Iki Town. Someone like Chuck, the Leader of the Cianwood Gym or even Bruno, the Elite Four member who worked at the Indigo Plateau.  
  
As she discovered, Hala was a much older gentleman than she expected to see, in a plain blue shirt and white shorts with an open yellow kimono as a jacket. He wasn't a particularly tall man, but he seemed to have hardened muscle over most of his body, save for the belly. He wore a traditional knot belt with a fan tucked into it, probably to cool off.  
  
His hair was shockingly white, like his mustache and eyebrows, and tied back in a knot on the top of his head.  
  
"Ah, the new Challenger has arrived! I was told you would be showing up, and your Pokémon are a little higher level than I expected." Hala chucked, stepping up onto the platform.  
  
This newcomer looked as if she was ready to get on with it, not stopping to introduce herself as she pulled out three Luxury balls and put two of them back almost automatically.  
  
"People talk a lot around here." Hana grumbled as she stepped up onto the platform that was clearly part of the battle arena.  
  
"I've selected a special team for you, young lady. So without further ado... Get ready! Hala's here to make you holler!" He shouted, tossing out a Hariyama.  
  
Hana groaned, feeling the grin spread across her cheeks as she held up one finger and tossed out Mei-Lin.  
  
Mei-Lin sped into action, slapping the Hariyama hard across the face with a 'Fake-Out', making it flinch and miss it's opportunity to hit her. Following up with a back-flip into a 'High-Jump Kick' and landing a critical hit. Hala gaped as his bulky Pokémon collapsed and returned to it's ball. She was good.  
  
"Alright, don't get so cocky! Come on out, Bewear!" He called, tossing out a huge, pink and black-furred bear with big paws and soft looking ears.  
  
"High Jump Kick!" Hana shouted and Mei-Lin leapt forward again, landing a hit to the centre of the bears chest.  
  
"Hammer Arm!" Hala ordered and his huge Pokémon swung out towards Mei-Lin.  
  
"Dodge it!" She cried, knowing that Mei-Lin couldn't take many hits to her lithe body.  
  
The Mei-Lin ducked and dodged under the Bewear's arm, whirling around to it's back side and tapping it on the shoulder to alert it that it had missed. The Bewear's head whipped around angrily, snarling at the smug looking weasel.  
  
"Knock it's item away!" Hana called and Mei-Lin slapped at its opponents fist, the Leichi berry went rolling across the ground and tumbled off the edge of the platform.  
  
"Didn't miss that, did you?" Hala chuckled, sighing internally at the loss of the rare berry.  
  
It would have been his trump-card had Bewear been whittled down to low health, boosting it's strength for the final hit. Mei-Lin whirled around, panting slightly, she knew she couldn't afford to get hit but master had trained her to be quick on her feet.  
  
Bewear went down after another 'Knock Off', not wanting to risk missing with 'High-Jump Kick' unless it was necessary. A giant crab came out to replace it and Hana grinned at its thick white hair, noting how it sort of looked like it's trainer.  
  
"High-Jump Kick!" She ordered, jabbing her finger into the air excitedly.  
  
The crab was instantly knocked out from the super effective attack, causing Hala to mutter under his breath, this girl was tough, he hadn't even hit her gosh darn Pokémon yet. Primeape went down soon after, managing to catch the speedy opponent with a 'Cross Chop' though, doing little damage.  
  
Finally Poliwrath collapsed under a summoned heap of boulders, not expecting that at all. Hala stood shocked, clapping at the interesting choice. She covered her Flying and Psychic weaknesses well, teaching her Mienshao 'Rock Slide' had been something he hadn't considered or even thought possible.  
  
Though Primeape also knew 'Rock Slide' so it was his own fault for not seeing it coming, even if it wasn't 'super effective', it was a very powerful move.  
  
Hana didn't realise she had been taking very short and shallow breaths, gritting her teeth and hoping she could keep the promise of 'one Pokémon'. Not that she had said anything out loud but she needed to see if she could still do it.  
  
Letting out her breath and rubbing her sweating hands on her jeans, Hana stepped forward to shake his hand. The older man had put up a decent fight, coming close to knocking her partner down many times. Calm down, you did it.  
  
"That was really something, young lady!" He called, tucking away his Pokeballs into his shorts pocket. "I think you might want to consider picking up a new Pokémon, something native to the Islands so that you won't discourage younger trainers." Hala advised.  
  
"I don't fight newbies for that reason, and I'm not replacing my friends for anything." She huffed, taking her winnings with a bow as they did in Johto.  
  
"I can respect that, well done." Hala said proudly, bowing back. "However, consider my advice, you'll find many new and wonderful Pokémon living here, having another friend doesn't necessarily mean replacing your others. Think of it more as... adding to the family." He nodded.  
  
"Right. Yeah I'll see what catches my eye." Hana replied, tucking away her prize money and Fightinium-Z.  
  
-  
  
"Such a good baby girl." Hana cooed, carrying her Pokémon home. "No, good girls like you dont have to walk. Yeah, extra munchings and crunchings for you tonight." Mei-Lin curled into her shoulder, flopping her long arms over her masters back as they went.  
  
Yeah, extra good battles meant extra good food. She had done so good today, only getting hit once and taking down so many big and powerful foes. Speed was her key to winning and her twitchy pent up energy was always coming in handy. Of course she was a good girl, Mei-Lin thought, she deserved all the treats Master had to give and more.  
  
Master made poffins for her at home, humming something softly a she stirred up the berries she had collected from under a tree after kicking a weird crab thing out of the way. Persim berries were her favourite and she smelled them as soon as they came out of the pouch. Mei-Lin didn't understand how so much food fit in that tiny bag but she didn't care as she sniffed around Hana's feet.  
  
The treats were amazing as ever, she had never eaten something so hard to touch yet soft and gooey inside. She loved these weird crunchy treats and she had certainly never smelled anything quite like it on the outskirts of that huge tower where she lived in the woods.  
  
She ate until she was full and sleepy, despite always wanting more she knew Master would be angry if she was sick on the carpet. Why couldn't the extra food just stay down? Belly almost full to bursting and completely worn out, Mei-Lin curled up in her bed by the balcony doors. She was eager for rest as the salty air blew in through the slightly ajar door.  
  
Yes, she had been a very good girl today so Master was happy, wasn't she?  
  
-  
  
Kukui called the next morning to invite her over again, he had apparently heard the news and had something for her for completing the trial.  
  
Hana stood on the front porch, refusing to come inside as the breeze was pleasant and she had her next trial to complete. Kukui frowned, a little hasty but sure, why not.  
  
A Trainer Passport, stamped by Hala after she had walked away to cool off and hide, and a Ride Pager, keyed to be able to call a Tauros that could smash through rocky blockades.  
  
"You can slow down, you know?" The young Professor offered.  
  
"Huh?" Han replied coolly.  
  
"Take time to relax, enjoy the sights. The trials aren't going anywhere!" Kukui grinned as he showed her how to scroll through and select new ride-Pokémon as they became available.  
  
"I have been relaxing, too much in fact. Need to get this done." She insisted, tucking away the new clutter.  
  
"Alright, remember to take time for yourself, miss Flower." He smiled, waving her off again.  
  
Perhaps she just needed a good friend to take her out and enjoy the Island. Well she would be going to Akala next, lots of young adults and some mature, younger kids who weren't half as busy as he and his wife were. Yeah, nice young girl like that, shy as she was, would probably make a whole bunch of friends on Akala Island.  
  
She could have come in for a cup of iced tea though, but the breeze _was_ nice, he supposed as he sniffed in the salty air.  
  
-  
  
"Hey Professor." Hana answered the phone to a surprisingly chipper Samuel Oak as she was heading back to her apartment.  
  
She should have expected this earlier, the old fart clearly had nothing better to do even when she was in Sinnoh, Kalos...  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." She replied, balancing her phone between her ear and shoulder.  
  
"Yup, lots!" She replied, he didn't need to know she hadn't many friends yet.  
  
Several people passed by, heading to the beach with their kids, she paused to frown at their happy faces, pulling a face of her own once they had their backs to her.  
  
"Mhmm. No, no tan yet." She laughed.  
  
Of course it was the usual, how are you? How's the weather? Do you like it there? Have you made any new friends yet?  
  
"Oh not yet, yes I can afford them, just haven't seen anything I like that much yet." She grumbled, everything here was incredibly slow and if she needed to call for slow partners she would just go get Umbreon from Mom's.  
  
Of course he wanted his Star Assistant to go catch a bunch of weird Pokémon for him. She wouldn't do it this time, if he wanted them he could easily ask his brother, any bloody kid off the street or even come here his damn self.  
  
"Well, I don't want them to sit around in boxes if I'm not gonna call them for anything." She huffed.  
  
"Yeah, I could just scan wild ones. There's plenty of kids to actually catch stuff for you to look at and poke." Hana sighed.  
  
"Yeah they're doing great, I'm gonna take Bandit to the desert soon. He'll like that." She perked up a little at the idea of the big idiot rolling around in the hot dry sand.  
  
"Akala Island. Yup. A resort? Sure I'll check it out. Sounds nice." She smiled, staying in a fancy hotel was fun sometimes.  
  
"Yup, I'll look for him. Yes, I'll say hi. Yes I will! Okay then, good luck on your next project or whatever. Bye!" She sighed, finally disconnecting the call.  
  
So damn nosy! Of course the old man was just being polite and at least had the balls to ask such questions, unlike her Professor back home. Elm was such a bookish little... Whatever. At least he never tried anything with her Mom. Oak would try it on with anyone's Mom, she thought with a giggle. Samuel thought he was a silver fox.  
  
He might've been a looker back in the day but now, he was tired grumpy, ever-so-nosy... Hana sighed, well he was a better Father figure than nothing she supposed and he had more knowledge and sense than Birch or Rowan.  
  
Now Professor Sycamore, he was cute. Slender, long-ish, black wavy hair, always smelled softly of cologne, never too strong. Sure he spoke with a strange accent but his voice was so... Yeah, he was the best damn thing about Kalos for sure, but there was no way he would ever look twice at someone like her. Besides, he probably already had some super-model girlfriend who was rich and successful, beautiful, funny, intelligent...  
  
"Augustine..." Hana sighed longingly as she thought of the man, only a little older than her.  
  
She had always wanted to run her fingers through his hair, kiss his thin lips, not that she would be only one who thought of him that way. Maybe she could call him sometime, just to hear his voice and talk about Mega-Evolutions. Yeah, he would want to talk about that. She shook her head, walking past her apartment to head towards the dock.  
  
Even better, maybe he had a spare Keystone lying around for... Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah sorry, I'm not a fan of Professor Kukui especially after all the gosh dang hand-holding at the start of the game. And yeah the black leather couch in the dark basement office _is_ creepy and porno-ish. Fite me.


	8. Kid Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one's gonna get a bit angsty and depressing. Sorry about it :(

Trying to stay focused on her trial and not constantly wonder what Guzma was doing, was difficult. Hana imagined him at a coffee shop, probably outside in the shade to drink it or walking along the rocky parts of Melemele beach or even up the rocky trail along the northern edge of the island.  
  
He wouldn't have the strongest coffee, maybe he liked to drink several a day, she thought. A little cream or even Moo Moo milk and maybe one spoonful of sugar. Yeah, she remembered being wrong about assuming he would like it bitter. Maybe he liked to travel around the islands too, she thought as the sea breeze blew her hair into her face. Hana sighed and tucked the stray lock behind her ear, first step.  
  
The small ship skated across the waves, bringing her to Akala Island in under an hour. Here she would gain access to a flying Pokémon for her ride pager, the locals frowning upon free-flyers. There was a decent assortment of shops just past the pier and Hana noted the large hotel down the street.  
  
One trial per day, then relax at the hotel, she told herself before returning home to prepare for the Kahuna battle. Maybe she could visit some of the stores, pick up a nice blend of coffee for him. Yeah, one crystal a day, check out what's for sale then head home in case he turned up.  
  
She wandered into the Lush Jungle, spraying herself down with Max Repel before stepping into the tall grass. Mallow was relatively easy to find, the Captain was a young girl, maybe fourteen or fifteen with long hair that had been dyed green.  
  
At least the 'Grass' type challenge had been nicely tweaked for her, having a tough looking Victreebel, Lilligant and even a Bellosom guarding the ingredients she was told to collect.  
  
Mr Fister 'Power-Up' and 'Fire Punched' his way through the guardians and Hana brought back the strange smelling mushroom, twisted root and large, juicy looking berry back to Mallow. The chipper young girl ground and smashed the ingredients together into a paste before setting the bowl on a dias in the centre of the jungle and they waited.  
  
The supposedly impressive Totem Pokémon was a tall and thin, kimono-wearing mantis that looked more like a Bug-type than grass. It had large compound eyes and screeched as it began charging it's attack.  
  
The not-bug lasted several rounds as Mr Fister charged up his strength and knocked out the back-up-dancers that Lurantis called for. Finally dropping to a super charged Fire Punch, Mallow stepped forward to congratulate her.  
  
With her Grassium-Z collected and a Stoutland added to her Ride-Pager, Hana returned to the Tide Song hotel and booked a room. She had had enough for the day, settling onto the soft sheets of the double bed and letting out her partners to enjoy the room.  
  
Everything was peaceful and quiet, the local news and weather buzzed from the TV but she wasn't paying attention. Hana ordered several bowls of food for her Pokémon and fries with aioli from the Room Service menu.  
  
Maybe he was also staying somewhere nice, maybe not as fancy as this, Guzma didn't seem to be into flashy hotels. Yeah, he was more of a relaxed, motel kind of guy, maybe he would go to a fish and chip shop and throw the remnants to the Wingulls on the beach before crashing for the night.  
  
Maybe he would even head to wherever was home for him and sort out whatever argument he had had with whoever it was.  
  
The morning came eventually, Hana finding herself curled up in an awfully warm pile of her best friends. She hadn't even gotten into bed properly, oh well, Dolly was of course curled up against her chest.  
  
With breakfast ordered in the dining room, she nibbled at her toast and tea, not liking the coffee that was prepared. Everyone fed and watered, Hana paid up, checked out and headed off toward Brooklet Hill for the Water challenge.  
  
She avoided trainers and wild Pokémon alike on the way, the walk was a little further than she had expected but Hana knew she was getting closer as she heard splashing and smelled fresh water ahead.  
  
Brooklet hill was a nice area, with patches of tall grass, little ponds dotted about the place and sparkling streams full of water type Pokémon. Something darted back into the grass as she approached, small, green and blue. Whatever, chill out little guy.  
  
This place is nice, she thought, relatively few people who stayed quiet so as not to disturb the fish. The gentle breeze blew off the surface of the water and made the area feel much nicer than the other, hotter areas of Alola. Certainly a far-cry from the hot concrete and sweltering sands of Heahea City.  
  
The Captain, as Hana had learned to spot easily, was a small and relatively shy girl holding an old fishing rod. Lana asked her to investigate the splashing at the bottom of the hill, registering a Lapras to carry the new Challenger downstream towards the commotion.  
  
After re-applying some Max-Repel to speed up the process, Han climbed on and steered the large aquatic beast down the series of large ponds toward the noise. At first, the splashing seemed to come from one tiny, sad-looking fish but as it squeaked and called out for it's family, the fish soon grew into a much larger school creating the Totem Pokémon.  
  
Hana sighed, not wanting to call out Mr Fister again, opted for Dolly, her tiny paws somehow balancing on the surface of the rippling pond as she called for a 'Sunny Day'. She darted aside to avoid a powerful 'Aqua Tail' attack.  
  
After a well timed 'Grasswhistle', the Wishiwashi, as her Pokedex let her know, fell asleep. Under the bright sun that filled the small grotto, Dolly cut it's health down with Leaf Blade attacks until the fish all dispersed back into the pond, apparently defeated.  
  
Hana pet Dolly, telling her how good she did and letting her nibble on a particularly juicy Watmel berry as they made their way back upstream to Lana.  
  
-  
  
She was tired, heading home on her newly acquired Charizard Ride-Pokémon. It was nice to be atop a giant lizard again, having used one frequently to travel quickly around Kalos. Hana really needed to take him out of the box for cuddles, or let him roam free when she realised that her apartment wouldn't fit another giant reptile.  
  
She had stayed in the Tide Song again last night after the Water trial, being too tired to take a ship all the way back to Melemele. The trials weren't as exhausting as the interactions made her feel. Lana wasn't so bad, Hana supposed, but the tourists asking her for directions to the Grand Resort or the Royal Avenue were enough.  
  
At least Hana had seemed local enough to an outsider, though she still didn't feel at home yet. Maybe the next Island over would be better, less crazy kids, no over-confident trainers and less bloody tourists littering all over the place.  
  
Kiawe had been less than pleased as she laughed at his trial, calling it a 'Spot-The-Difference game for kids' before he threw them into a tough battle to silence her. His Arcanine, Talonflame and a flaming bone-twirling Marowak all went down quickly, several Earthquakes from Bandit and a Rock Slide from Mei-Lin finally sent the flaming bird back to its ball.  
  
"Easy as cake!" She had told Kiawe as he grumpily handed over the Firium-Z and updated her Ride-Pager.  
  
Kukui had called her then, much to her annoyance as she arrived back at Hau'oli City, to tell her that she should use Pokémon other than Mienshao and Krookodile for the rest of her challenge.  
  
"Fine." She huffed into the phone.  
  
"Really? You will?" He replied happily, hoping that she would catch something new to use against Olivia.  
  
"Sure, I'll find something suitable." Hana sighed, disconnecting the call in annoyance.  
  
Akala Island was bustling with tourists, there was even a breeding Ranch, Royal Avenue which had a strange set of rules for battling and a much bigger Hotel than the one she had stayed at. Too busy, sure the Jungle was nice and peaceful and Brooklet Hill would be a place she returned to some day.  
  
No, for now this was home and where she needed to be. Besides, Guzma would come by soon to see how she was doing.  
  
Hana would happily show him the five crystals that she had already collected, he would tell her how good she was doing and maybe they could go out to celebrate. Some small burger joint or something, not too fancy, really casual. Yeah.  
  
The knock on the door never came, Hana sat on the couch glancing over until finally dozing off. The new couch had been much more comfortable, it was finally delivered yesterday, the building manager letting them in to move the previous one into storage.  
  
-  
  
It was dark and there was no sound. No, someone was on top of her, nuzzling and kissing her neck, Hana was smiling, stroking their hair and down their back.  
  
It was a male, Hana could tell from the deep, small noises of appreciation they made and from the heavy weight pushing her into the ground. Hana hadn't met a decent girl in a few years at least, not one who wanted to be seen as her 'official' girlfriend anyway.  
  
The man kissed down her collarbone, she still couldn't see, no, her eyes were closed. Feeling his warm skin, the subtle muscle in his arms, her eyes opened and he stopped to look up at her. Hana's breath hitched, her previous enjoyment of the moment disappearing in an instant.  
  
"Grim?" She gasped at her sudden realisation, all too familiar spiky blue-black hair, slender body and pale blue eyes staring back at her.  
  
"Yes my babygirl? This what you wanted?" Grimsley teased, moving back to her throat to pepper it with soft kisses.  
  
"Uh... W-why... stop!" She panted, trying to push him away.  
  
This was wrong, it was over and nothing good could come from this. Grimsley had never been as strong as this before, so why couldn't she shake him off? Where was she?  
  
"What's wrong, my baby? Not quite what you were looking for?" He purred, gripping her waist tightly and then he looked up again.  
  
It was no longer Grimsley, this time it was Augustine Sycamore, his soft masculine cologne filled her nostrils as if she had never forgotten it. Of course, it had been him the whole time hadn't it? Hana relaxed a bit more, the tension in her body slowly vanishing.  
  
"Um, A-Augustine... I... didn't think you'd..." She stammered as he nipped at her earlobe and let out a small gasp as he hummed softly.  
  
"Ma chérie, my sucrée fleur, still not 'appy are we? Per'aps you need something else?" Augustine teased, pulling back to look into her eyes.  
  
Beautiful, he was so beautiful, her hands shakily came up to touch his face, run through his hair. Gentle grey eyes held her gaze, the neatly shaven scruff on his chin was rough to the touch as she ran her thumb over his jawbone. She was hesitant even as one of her legs twined with his like an old routine.  
  
"I do want this... but..." She replied weakly, what was happening? This was nice wasn't it?  
  
"Per'aps you would prefer..." Augustine leaned back, placing his hands firmly on either side of her shoulders as his face and body swirled and shifted into someone else entirely.  
  
"This?" Came the husky voice, the weight on her lower body now almost too much to bear.  
  
"I... uh... Of course I do but, it's too soon isn't it?" Hana gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.  
  
Guzma's larger hand came up to softly take hers and kissed her knuckles, leaning all the way back and taking her with him to settle back on his heels. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and his skin had healed over, now a normal, healthy colour. Hana was sitting in his lap now, her face was red and flustered with her legs either side of his hips.  
  
"Never soon enough, babe. You're so good to me, takin' care of me, wanna repay you somehow." He growled softly, gently holding her at the back of the neck as he pulled her closer.  
  
"You don't have to..." She whispered, closing her eyes as his lips met hers.  
  
Warm. Gentle yet just rough enough to be enjoyable. Heavenly. She wanted this so much but...  
  
Hana woke with a gasp, her eyes snapping open. Li had switched off the lights and shooed everyone off to bed, except 'Babydoll' who was curled up against Hana's face. She giggled at the leafy-tailed little butt in her face, giving Dolly a quick kiss on the head and carefully removed herself from the couch.  
  
Hana found her lighter and pulled a smoke from the packet, not many left, and pushed the balcony door open enough for her to slip out. At least Guzma had loosened it enough that she didn't need Li's help anymore, she pushed it back until it was closed.  
  
She stood in the cold night air, puffing away, it must have been the very early hours of the morning, it was always darkest before dawn.  
  
-  
  
From a dirty alleyway he watched her, he hadn't expected to see her, wanted to go up and knock on the door but he just couldn't do it yet. There she was, beautiful in the moonlight up on the third floor.  
  
She had come home, maybe her challenge hadn't gone so well, maybe she was just taking a break. Of course she didn't need his help, didn't need him to show her around. Hana was such a capable trainer and he had seen her in action.  
  
He should just stay away, leave her alone and not burden her any more with his problems. He wanted to stay far away from her, this goddess of darkness, a beacon in the light, he certainly didn't deserve her help or her company.  
  
Yet, something was pulling him, tugging him toward her, she wasn't some perfect princess who followed all the rules. Maybe his presence would corrupt her, turn her down a dark path. She was already troubled, and he would make it worse. Damn it, it was all his fault wasn't it?  
  
He should just go, leave and never come back to this place. Leave this poor girl alone before her ruined her life just like he did with everything he touched.  
  
-  
  
"Much as I didn't want to show you these just yet, I guess I will have to call on my serious team to crush you!" The Kahuna of Akala Island called as Hana stepped up to the entrance of the Ruins of Life for the battle.  
  
Apparently Metagross was _not_ what Kukui had wanted her to get out of the box and its Mega-version was not what Olivia wanted to see. Hana loved to disappoint people like that, whatever they told her not to do, places to stay out of and people to stay away from was always what she wanted to do or see next.  
  
Metagross roared as the shimmering light enveloped it in a ball and it rushed, it's speed much higher than the rock types it raced, launching into the Relicanth with an 'Iron Head' attack. Carbink also took the powerful head-butt to the face, dropping to the floor before returning with a sad cry.  
  
Golem came out next and Hana called for her steel beast to use 'Earthquake' on it, knowing that though it looked different, it was still a rock. It worked incredibly well, sending the ball of rock back to its trainer in one single hit.  
  
Hana's Pokedex beeped with the 'Super Effective' chime as it went off, it did that every time, but as she looked at the battle screen she saw that Golem was now a Rock-Electric type and the damage had been four times as effective than against the variety she was used to.  
  
"Huh..." Hana said casually, that was new.  
  
This apparently upset Olivia, but because it might disturb the Tapu, even contained to a small area as 'Earthquake' was. Next came Probopass, and Hana called for her Metagross to use the move again just for good measure.  
  
Last was a strange looking wolf that stood on its hind legs and swayed side to side as if drunk. The 'Lycanroc' was apparently faster than most rock types and dodged away from Metagross's claws as it swiped.  
  
"Alright, see how you like another Iron Head!" She called out and Metagross slammed into the wolf at incredible speed, landing a direct hit and causing Olivia to hiss in surprise and disgust.  
  
Olivia summoned her beaten partner back to their ball, placing the ball carefully away in her handbag before turning back to the victor.  
  
"You've done well, Challenger. Come, take your prize. Rockium-Z and the Akala Island stamp for your trainer passport!" Olivia muttered angrily.  
  
She had gotten a call from Kukui to let her know that the new Challenger would be tough and to change up her team to suit, but this? This was ridiculous!  
  
Tapu Lele hadn't stepped in to intervene so her job was to show the newcomer how to use the new Z-Crystal. Olivia frowned, trying to force her face back to professionalism as she took the girls passport, marked it and showed her how to use the Rockium-Z.  
  
She would win her pride back later of course, toughening up her team and stomping this kid as she challenged the Elite Four.  
  
-  
  
"Now really, was that called for? You gave poor Olivia quite the scare!" Kukui chuckled, sure it was good to see the socialite taken down a peg but she was in quite a huff when she called him to complain about the new challenger.  
  
"Hmph. Just needed to get it out of the way. There's something on Ula'ula Island I've been seeing that I want to catch." Hana sighed, she had indeed seen a gorgeous bird that someone had taken a photo of and decided that she needed one.  
  
It wasn't a total lie, she did want that bird, but the form she wanted actually lived on Poni Island, the last place to visit while on an Island Challenge. He didn't need to know that of course and Hana wanted to shut Kukui up as quickly as possible.  
  
She could probably find something on Ula'ula island that she might want to join her fucked up little family.  
  
Done being growled at for her apparently much higher skill-level, Hana zoned out, barely listening to the grumbling yet still apparently sunny faced Professor. He was talking about how he wanted to be able to give her a starter but since she already had Pokémon he couldn't justify it. Blah blah blah, find something lower level to challenge yourself at the next trial, blah blah blah.  
  
"Mhmm." She hummed, not really listening as she thought about her new would-be companion.  
  
"Yes, yes, I will. Am I supposed to apologise for winning?" She huffed.  
  
"Good. I'll be off shortly, might be in caves or something for a bit, no reception so don't bother calling. Yes I'll call you when I can get service. Ok. Bye!" She abruptly hung up before Kukui could say anything else.  
  
Hana thought about staying in the hotel again but it had been several days, maybe Guzma would show up tonight to check on her. The Charizard arrived, grumbling low in its throat as she hopped on and kicked its sides lightly to get it to take off. She thought about movies she might put on for them to watch, dinner he might want to order or even a restaurant they could go to.  
  
She scratched casually up its neck and belly as it returned her to the Shopping District, fed it some berries and it took off again. The walk home was just a short one and she settled on the couch after feeding everyone, just in case she had to open the door.  
  
-  
  
Another lonely night, nobody came to the door. The next set of challenges were on the next island over from Akala but Hana wanted to put that off until she saw Guzma. She was doing the challenges, they were fine, and she had gotten to know parts of two of the Islands so far.  
  
She always stopped to restock on berries, tossing the bruised ones away and covering them up with soil to go back into the ground. There had been some areas she would revisit but still barely any new Pokémon that caught her interest.  
  
The new variants were strange, as she saw on the local blogs, Golem and Dugtrio were different, Sandshrew and Vulpix were ice types now and lived in the snow on Mount Lanakila. That was definitely weird.  
  
Hana returned to the supermarket that morning, with Li this time to help her carry stuff. She didn't need too much but Bandit's food was heavy and came in huge bags. She made Li wait outside the liquor store as she bought several bottles of wine, if Guzma didn’t show up today she could celebrate alone like she often had to.  
  
A phone call interrupted her trip back home, pinning to her ear with her shoulder before Li took the extra bag.  
  
"Oh hey Grimby, yeah. Yeah I'm doing my Island Challenge... Started a few days ago... Mhmm... Yup, five!... Uhuh... Not yet... Maybe on the next Island?... Ula'ula... Yeah... Yeah I'll take him... Uhuh... Yeah maybe... Sure thing... Uhuh, talk soon... Bye!" The call ended as abruptly as it started, Hana clicked off the screen and dropped her phone into her bag.  
  
She really hadn't been in the mood to talk to Grimsley today anyway, thankfully he hadn't felt like talking too much either. Just checking in, he said. Just asking about her business like everyone did.  
  
Bandit would enjoy the desert, sure, but she was tired from all the battles over the last few days. Olivia had had some tough looking partners and Hana felt a little bad for sweeping them.  
  
Maybe she should slow down a little bit she thought, unlocking the door to let Li through. She unpacked her new items quickly, tidying the countertops and running the tap to clean the sink.  
  
The apartment was clean and tidy, a little too tidy in fact as she re-filled the large bin of Bandit's 'large reptilian' kibble and locked it away in the cupboard as her phone rang _yet_ again.  
  
"Uh... H-hey! P-professor Sycamore!" She stuttered, eyes throw wide open at the silky voice that greeted her.  
  
"Yes, Augustine, got it.... Yes I did! Yeah they loved it, they were so much stronger after... Yes... Yeah it felt good to know they still feel the same... Yeah... Of course... No, no video this time..." Hana walked out onto the balcony, this had to be a coincidence.  
  
She dreamt about Grimby, he called. She also dreamt of Augustine, he called. Would Guzma... No, she hadn't given him her phone number or even seem him with a phone. Damn it, She should have written it down for him, that way if he showed up and she wasn't there she could rush back home to let him in.  
  
"Of course I will!... Yes... How's Kalos these days?... Uhuh... Oh... Well I'm glad... News? What news?... That's wonderful, Augustine!.. Of course, I'm so happy for you!.. I'll send something for the reception..." Of course he was getting married, Hana had been surprised not to see a ring on his finger when she first met him.  
  
It wasn't just because he was gorgeous, Augustine was brilliant, quick-witted, funny, warm and polite. Everything that she would have wanted in a man, far more than she deserved though.  
  
"No it's no trouble, after all you've done for me... Yes, I'm happy for you, you deserve everything... You're welcome... No I probably won't be able to make it... No, I just haven't felt too great for a while... Of course... I'll let you know if I'm able to... I will... Yeah you too... Give my regards to um... Lillian, yes of course... All the best, Augustine... Yeah, you too... Au revoir." Hana grit her teeth, her nails digging hard into her palm.  
  
"No! I'm fine, Li!" She sobbed, running to her room behind the partition to throw herself onto the bed.  
  
It had only been a matter of time, someone should have been quick and confident enough to scoop him up years ago. He was a fine man and would look wonderful in his wedding day tuxedo, slouching around in sweatpants and a dirty jumper, even in board shorts at the beach as he played with the...  
  
Fuck.  
  
Li sat on the edge of the bed, gently patting his masters back. She did this sort of thing every now and again, but far less than she did back home. That was good at least, of course life would never be completely perfect. Things took time, like building muscle, learning new moves or becoming the best trainer and Pokémon that there was. She would always be the best in his eyes.  
  
Knowing that she would be like this for a few hours at least, he left her to it after a few minutes. He fed the others when it was time, after a few months learning that when it was dark and the sticks on the wall thing pointed straight up and down it was time for 'second bowl'.  
  
He swept the linoleum in the kitchen and by the front door while he waited to collect the food before turning out the lights and settling on the floor by his masters side. Li didn't know quite what to do when she got like this, but eventually she would 'Water Gun' herself to sleep and he could wake her up in the morning for a workout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little section from Li's point of view and a mystery man, guess who? ;)


	9. Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still feeling awful after the news yesterday, Hana really doesn't want to do anything today. Motivation is at an all time low.

She couldn't go anywhere today, she felt weak and more tired than when she stayed up for three days straight to hatch an important egg. Hana felt awful.  
  
Augustine was getting married in a few months, Hana had never told him how she felt about him. Despite being who she was, it was more than just a little crush, at one point she thought she had been falling in love with him.  
  
It was stupid, and now he really didn't need to know. He probably knew somewhere deep down, lots of girls probably had crushes on him. But this hurt almost as much as...  
  
Shut up.  
  
Shut up!  
  
Control it. Hide it. It'll go away.  
  
Stop crying. There was never anything for you to lose, he wasn't yours and you were never his. You never even asked him out on date, so why?  
  
-  
  
Li took care of the morning routine, he had tried to shake Hana into starting a quick workout, something nice and easy to help her relax but she shooed him away. Babydoll leapt off her masters back when she smelled the food and heard it being poured. When he was finished he poured two glasses of water and brought one to her.  
  
Water was good first thing in the morning. It cleared the mind and hydrated the body, it would get the taste of kibble of out his mouth too. It wasn't bad exactly, but Hana hadn't made him rice and beans for a few days and he couldn't use the rice cooker or the stove.  
  
"Thanks buddy." She said quietly, sitting up to drink the water.  
  
Hana wasn't in the mood for the next challenge today, she wouldn't be for a while. The shower was nice, she felt a little better after that but went straight back to bed afterwards, laying a towel over her pillow so that it didn't get soaked.  
  
Browsing the local blogs didn't exactly fill her with joy either, the photos of scenery were nice but not inspiring enough to get her out of bed to check them out herself. No, she had to do something, she turned off her phone, not wanting anymore painful calls and got herself dressed.  
  
But she didn't want to sit around and deal with Li's grumbling and pitying looks, that was the last damn thing she needed. It was her own fault for not saying anything, summoning her friends back to their balls, Hana set off, calling for a Charizard to take her up to the start of route three.  
  
There were more weak trainers here but she had read something about a cave off Melemele Meadow that lead down to a secret beach. Much as she wanted to scale the cliffs and throw herself off, a secluded spot sounded nice.  
  
She picked her way down the path, it was fairly linear, spraying herself down with Max Repel before aiming it at an approaching trainer with a scowl. Finally she found the meadow, it was a small area with waist-high yellow flowers and small trees about the place.  
  
Her exposed ankles itched as she read the tiny blogs instructions, following the steps through the flowers until she came to the small hole in the wall. It was tiny, just big enough for a child or skinny adult to crouch down and crawl through. That must have been it, sighing as she had to get down on her hands and knees to squeeze through.  
  
The cave smelled damp and salty but it was beautiful in a way, shallow pools slowly filled over the years by water dripping from the ceiling. There was a little trash around, she wasn't the first to discover this place and wouldn't be the last. Gathering up the usable items, she kicked the trash into a pile near the entrance and followed the cavern walls down.  
  
The walls and ceiling glistened with quartz and salt crystals, yes this was nice. Hana sat down on a rock, not knowing how far the cavern went but assuming she would reach the sea at some point. She admired the shimmering walls in the dim light coming from what was probably the exit far below.  
  
The rock walls glistened like the stone she wore, taking it out for another look, yes it was quite similar, but also very different as she turned it.  
  
"Augustine..." She whispered weakly, wishing she hadn't discarded the original bracelet it came in.  
  
Sycamore had delivered himself, commenting on how, usually, his assistant Dexio would hand these out to special trainers but he wanted to instruct her on using it personally. Of course she had potential to use it, but had he ever seen anything more in her?  
  
Perhaps once or twice he might have considered it, no, yes, maybe. Probably not. It didn't matter anymore, she was only a project, someone else for him to tutor. Heck, maybe even Juniper had called him once she figured out where Hana had run off to and told him to keep an eye on her.  
  
Sure he called her frequently, but it was only about work, he was just being polite. He told her about nice places to hang out but he never offered to take her there himself. Of course Augustine wouldn't want to go on a date with her, she was a goth and he was just a normal guy.  
  
Of course, just a project, always just a project, someone to point at and say 'Hey, I taught her everything she knows and helped her get to where she is today!'  
  
Never any more than that. Of course even Rowan asked how she was doing when he called once a year but it was just a formality. They always asked how her adventures were going, badges she had collected and Pokémon she had caught, but never if she wanted to keep going.  
  
She tucked the stone away absently. Winning battles was easy, sometimes even fun, but catching the eye of someone who wasn't a complete creep? Impossible.  
  
Hana attracted the worst of the worst, of course she didn't want some hero, someone to come along and be the big saviour, she could do that herself. What _did_ she want?  
  
She had spent years travelling around, filling out data on several Pokedexes, registering locations of interest, investigating ruins and beating insidious organizations. Champion wasn't the role she wanted, Researcher? No... Maybe just being a regular person wasn't so bad after all.  
  
Regular people were happy, they had time to spend with their loved ones, could go anywhere any time they liked, they worked at normal jobs, earning a normal wage.  
  
Perhaps not quite like that, but she had enjoyed the peace and quiet of the tunnels under Sinnoh and the caves of Unova. Maybe it was time to dig some new tunnels, far below the surface and away from everyone. Yeah, maybe it was time to dig a hole and...  
  
No, Hana would go get Excadrill in a few days, bring her here and show her the new minerals. Maybe they would find something cool together, go on another treasure hunt, anything to take her mind of the tightness in her chest.  
  
No, maybe she should start today. No, find the cave exit first, know your way out before digging deeper. That was the way.  
  
-  
  
The tiny rocky outcropping she finally dragged herself out onto was nice, but there was a surfer here resting. She blinked as she stepped out, shielding her eyes from the afternoon light. Was it that late already? How long had she zoned out for?  
"Oh! Hey, cousin!" He called with a friendly wave, he was panting, apparently having just swam to shore for a quick rest.  
  
Navy coloured board shorts, very good musculature, light brown hair. Well tanned. Wave-print surf board. She noticed the details with a well-practiced eye, she had to learn to look for held items, how strong Pokémon might have been, which ones might have been special in some way.  
  
"Um, hi." She mumbled, trying not to stare at his rippling abs.  
  
"Come here often?" He chuckled, smoothing his wet hair over the back of his head.  
  
"Um, no, I just found this place..." Hana muttered, sitting down in some shade several metres away.  
  
"Ayyy, there's my babe!" He called suddenly as a woman paddled up on the surf board in a bright red bikini.  
  
"Hey babe, who's the chick?" She smiled, climbing up onto the rocky platform and kissing her partner on the cheek.  
  
"Um, no-one, I was just..." She muttered awkwardly.  
  
"Oh it's okay! There's usually the odd trainer trying to collect stuff in that cave." The woman smiled warmly, sitting down by her boyfriend for a rest as he checked over her board.  
  
"Yeah..." Hana replied casually.  
  
"You a trainer or...?" The man asked politely.  
  
"Um, no, just wanted to check out the cave. It's nice in there, the crystals..." She mumbled  
  
"Yeah, it's where I first took her, she looked so beautiful in the moonlight..." The man said softly, putting his arm around his now giggling girlfriend.  
  
"Honey, stop! You're embarrassing me!" She cooed, leaning in for a kiss.  
  
"I get it! You're happy! Fuck!" Hana yelled, standing as she darted back into the cave.  
  
The young couple really had no idea what they had done wrong, maybe she had just suffered a break up and that was why. They were shocked but everyone had their bad days, she probably didn't mean it in a bad way. Patting his shocked partners thigh, the man grabbed his board and jumped back into the ocean for another swim.  
  
-  
  
Too much, people were too much, their happiness, their words, Hana wiped the tears away as she ran down, over the bridge past the waterfall. She ignored the Berry Tree this time, the tears becoming too much, she could barely see but she had to keep running, keep running forever until she...  
  
"Oof!" Somebody grunted as she ran straight into them.  
  
Hana tried to start apologising but her throat was so tight, the words wouldn't come out.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, Miss Former-Champion? What happened? Why are you crying?" It was Hala, the Island Kahuna.  
  
His large hands caught her before she collapsed, having no strength left to keep running. "Hey, come on now, I've got you. Were there troublemakers up the trail? I'll sort 'em out!" He barked, sounding surprisingly gruff.  
  
"N-n-no..." She sobbed and began to wail as he pulled her in for a hug.  
  
She just wanted to walk away, a pathetic excuse for a trainer, so far from the cocky One-Shotter that had beaten him last week.  
  
"Hey, there, there, just breathe slowly now. It's alright. Let it out, kiddo." Hala sighed, this happened often enough.  
  
The older man just let her sob into his shirt for what seemed like hours, waving away passers-by, he had this sorted. He just patted her back as she sobbed and wailed until finally, Tapu bless her, she seemed to be running out of steam.  
  
"Why don't we have a cup of tea? Come on, my treat." Hala offered, adjusting his now thoroughly soaked kimono over-shirt.  
  
Hana just nodded, maybe she could just have a quick cup, calm down and tell him a little bit. Never too much, she told herself as the large man steered her back to Iki Town. Within minutes she found herself in a large hut, her face cooling down, returning to normal as he told her, no, ordered her to sit as he disappeared into what was probably the kitchen.  
  
The building seemed like a community house, not Hala's place as she had vaguely dreaded. The walls were decorated with hanging lei, potted exotic pants sat on small tables around the room. The centre of the room was the sitting area, with nice wicker chairs and soft cushions.  
  
People were talking in the other rooms, there were to doors off to her right and one to the left where Hala had gone. The back of the room had a throne of sorts, surrounded by martial arts trophies and certificates.  
  
Hala reappeared minutes later, allowing her to properly shift into her calm, composed, normal self. The heat didn't bother his heavily calloused hands as he passed her a cup of fresh green tea and sat down with a groan in the chair opposite.  
  
"Sorry for running off before getting my stamp, I'm a bit new to this..." She muttered, settling in the wicker chair, taking her steaming hot cup and setting it quickly down on the coffee table.  
  
"It's alright, you looked pretty riled up after that battle! You crushed me fair and square and with one Pokémon! It was magnificent!" Hala chuckled, already sipping the scalding hot tea.  
  
"Thanks." Hana muttered.  
  
"So why the tears, young-miss?" He asked, setting down his cup and placing his large hands on his knees.  
  
"Um, nothing... really..." She said, staring at her feet but Hala cleared his throat.  
  
"It's never nothing, c'mon, you don't think anything gets past Old Hala, do you?" He smiled, but he was just being polite.  
  
"Um... Well..." Hana muttered nervously, not knowing where to start or just how little she could get away with sharing.  
  
She began to tell him that she hadn't lived here long, was still getting used to the sights and sounds, the tourists and their annoying attitudes, the locals and their over-sunny dispositions. The way Kukui creeped her out by taking her down into the creepy basement to register her for the Challenge.  
  
Hala listened well, nodding but not interrupting as more and more came out. The young man she had helped in the alleyway who didn't seem to have a home, her ex calling to control, no, check that she was okay.  
  
Kiawe and his stupid challenge, Olivia and her shitty attitude. Professor Oak and Kukui constantly calling to tell her what to do, how to conduct herself. Back to the man she had helped that said she should start her challenge, not coming back and probably never would.  
  
Finally, Hana told Hala about Augustine, that she had cared for him for such a long time and recently found out he was marrying someone else. Then the couple on the rocky platform. It was all too much.  
  
"I'm surprised you're not hiding away in your house drinking your problems away!" Hala chuckled.  
  
"Huh?" Hana sniffed, not realising that she had started crying again.  
  
"That's a lotta trouble for one young lady, you're handling it pretty well, going for a walk to ease your mind. Many youngsters have far worse ways of dealing with their issues." He offered with a small shrug.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..." She replied quietly.  
  
"I can't give you much to go on about your old Professor..." Hala started, leaning back and stroking his mustache thoughtfully.  
  
"Which one?" She huffed, finally trying her tea. Huh, it was good, not over brewed.  
  
"The one getting married!" Hala chuckled. "You didn't say anything about your feelings when he told you? Told him that you were hurt?"  
  
"Of course not! That's not my place, I'm glad he's happy, really. Augustine deserves the best." Hana sighed dejectedly.  
  
"Hmm." Hala nodded. "If you are both on good terms, continue to be his friend, but keep your emotions under control. Find an outlet, you'll move on sooner or later." He added.  
  
"Yeah, probably. It just hurts, y'know?" She offered quietly.  
  
"Yes, I know. You probably feel like there are many things you should have said or done. And you didn't. You need to accept that and keep it that way." He nodded again.  
  
"Right." She agreed.  
  
"And about this supposed friend that you made, on your first day?" Hala changed the sore subject quickly, having said his piece.  
  
"I had hoped that we might be, we battled together one day, it was nice but..." Hana began.  
  
"You'll see him again, these islands are small. I'm sure he'll come see you soon, and if he doesn't want your friendship then, that's his loss!" Hala grinned.  
  
"Yeah, right." She scoffed.  
  
"Trust an old man." He said with a knowing nod, she hadn't said who it was but he had a vague idea of who the troubled young man might have been. Especially one who initially refused help and then disappeared soon after.  
  
"It's getting late, I'll walk you back to town." Hala groaned, his cup apparently long finished as he took hers.  
  
"Oh, no really, it's fine..." She sputtered, shit, there was no more tea to hide behind.  
  
"Nonsense!" Hala grumbled, disappearing for a moment to dispose of the cups before reappearing and walking her to the door.  
  
They returned to the beachfront in peaceful silence, only speaking once she reached the pavement in front of her apartment building.  
  
"This is me. Thanks for listening to my bullshit problems, I guess..." Hana scratched the back of her head awkwardly.  
  
"No problem, miss Hana. You take care of yourself okay? Everyone has their down days, don't blame yourself so much. Goodnight." Hala grunted and turned to walk away with a wave.  
  
She had shared too much, blubbering all over the guy, it was so stupid. She kicked at the tiled floor impatiently at the elevator, wondering if she should have taken the stairs until they opened with a 'ping'.  
  
"Princess?" A wide eyed Guzma was staring back at her from the interior, he was about to leave, deciding better of waiting outside her apartment door until someone kicked him out.  
  
And she was fucking blubbering again, throwing her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Hana felt like she could never let go, the tears flowing freely down her face and she nuzzled into his neck and inhaled his scent.  
  
He didn't know what to do or say, maybe she had just had a bad day, he just hugged her back. Quickly pressing the button for the third floor, Guzma returned his hand to her back, absently curling his fingers into her silky hair.  
  
At least he was in decent clothes this time, new and mostly clean, he smelled so good, just a subtle hint of aftershave. Hana had noticed in the split second it took to reach him that he had shaved, was wearing a different shirt and hoodie. However she didn't have time to notice anything else yet.  
  
"Hey, hey! C'mon, didn't know you missed ya boy that much!" He chuckled jokingly, but soon his smile turned to a frown as she didn't pull away with a snarky comment. "Princess, this is your floor. C'mon, let's go." Guzma all but dragged her out of the elevator, deciding he shouldn't just pick her up, much as he wanted to.  
  
"Hey, chill! Heard you've been smashin' everyone!" He grinned widely, pushing her back a little to brush her tears away.  
  
"Mhmm." Hana nodded, reaching up to wipe them herself. "Yeah, let's go..." She added, turning to walk down the hall to her apartment.  
  
"Yeah, let’s get outta the fuckin’ hallway. You had a shitty day, huh?" He asked softly, keeping his hand on the small of her back as she unlocked the door.  
  
He had indeed bought new clothes, though he didn't look all that different in dark, straight leg jeans with what might have been a belt to keep them up. He had on yet another plain white t-shirt that was a little too long and a black, long sleeved hoodie with a little yellow logo of a grinning face with crossed out eyes.  
  
It looked vaguely familiar but Hana couldn't quite place it, having seen it before somewhere.  
  
"Uh... Yeah, kind of. H-have you eaten?" She asked, surprised as he opened the door for her, holding it with his other hand on her back as she stepped through with a quick nod of thanks.  
  
"Yeah I'm good. You've been doin' fuckin' great." He winked, suddenly noticing the new sofa across from the TV. "Wow, tha's flash!"  
  
"Thanks, I got it a few days ago. You look nice, by the way." She said quietly, setting down her bag and tossing out Dolly.  
  
"Ha, thanks. Had to get some new threads." Guzma whistled, pulling the handle on the side to release the foot-rests and sat down roughly on it, pulling Hana to his side as he stretched out.  
  
“Hey, you don’t have ta talk about it…” He paused, giving her a wink and making her laugh weakly as he rubbed her shoulder. “But you gotta at least tell me how your Challenge’s been goin’!”  
  
“Mhmm." She hummed, calming down quicker now that he was here.  
  
“So you've been out to see the Island?" He asked.  
  
"Mhmm. Got like, five crystals now." Hana said calmly, they didn't feel like trophies or give the sense of achievement like badges did.  
  
"Dope! You've been to Akala Island then?" He continued, rubbing her shoulder to keep her talking.  
  
"Yup." She said.  
  
"And you beat Hala?" Guzma asked with a grin.  
  
“Yeah.” She sighed.  
  
"What’s more, I heard you used one Pokémon to do it!” Guzma grinned, holding up one finger in front of her face like she had done that day.  
  
“W-what? Were you there?” Hana gasped, twisting a little to look up at him.  
  
“Maybe, maybe I just heard all the locals yappin’ about it…” He shrugged, unable to keep the proud smile from his face.  
  
"Would have been nice to see you there..." She sighed.  
  
"People don't exactly welcome me there, princess..." Guzma frowned, Dolly had climbed up onto Hana's lap and curled up there, waiting for dinner.  
  
Unfortunately and almost as a blessing, his stomach rumbled loudly, causing Hana to scowl up at him and reach for her phone to bring up her delivery app.  
  
"You told me you didn't need dinner!" She huffed, Dolly's ears perking up at the word and she hopped up and ran to the kitchen to be ready.  
  
"Ah, it's fine." He waved his hand casually.  
  
"When did you last eat?" Hana huffed, glaring at him now.  
  
"Uh... yesterday?" He chuckled.  
  
-  
  
"The couch pulls out, just if you wanted to…" She started, showing the release on either side of the back section.  
  
Finally everyone had been fed and watered, though the 'water' was a little fizzy and sugary, at least Guzma had eaten a decent meal.  
  
“Nah, your beds great.” He winked, not-so-secretly wanting to get into it as soon as possible.  
  
“Well, just in case it gets too hot, you can sleep between the balcony door and the air-con or…” She continued.  
  
“Or if you tell me to fuck off?” He grinned, giving her a cheeky nudge.  
  
“If you have another night terror…” Hana said quietly. “That’s where I’ll be. So you don’t have to worry.”  
  
“Oh… right.” Guzma muttered, shuffling his feet.  
  
“And if I’m n-not here and you um… need somewhere to…” She paused, fingers shaking as she reached into the cabinet by the door for something tiny.  
  
“Whoa there, princess! That’s a bit fuckin’ fast, ain’t it?” He gasped, holding his hands up in shock as she walked back to him with something shiny in her hand.  
  
“This doesn’t mean whatever you think it means, I’d just rather have you stay here than out on the street. Okay? So if I’m not here…” Hana pressed the key into his hand, closing his shaking fingers around it and holding it with both of hers. “You just let yourself in, okay? Just you though, no friends.” She added sweetly.  
  
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He smiled weakly.  
  
The key to her fucking apartment, Guzma never dreamed of being given such a thing. The fact that she trusted him with access to her home, even when she wasn’t there, that was something.  
  
“You’re not on the tenancy agreement, you don’t live here permanently. It’s just an option. Alright?” She repeated.  
  
Of course she was nervous too, but the idea of him sleeping in a bush, on a park bench or in a cardboard box in some filthy alleyway was far scarier than this. If those biker punks found him again and she wasn't around to help, he might not...  
  
"Thanks." Guzma whispered, pulling her into a tight hug, his throat was tight and dry.  
  
Options, when did anyone ever give him an option, a choice for him to make on his own?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playlist was depressing  
> Prom Queen - Catie Turner  
> Come Clarity - In Flames  
> Your Bedtime Story is Scaring everyone - In Flames  
> Evil in a Closet - In Flames  
>   
> No, Guzma's not wearing a Nirvana hoodie. It's a hint at my next fic ;)
> 
> Whenever that happens...


	10. Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to pick up :)

Guzma had held her for a little longer than what might have been appropriate, feeling a little too comfortable and suddenly pulling away and brushing himself off.  
  
"I just... y’know.... thanks." He muttered.  
  
"It's okay. This is something that I’m able to offer." Hana smiled softly.  
  
"I know but you hardly know me and this is... y’know." He added, shuffling his feet.  
  
" _And_ I'm happy to offer it, I don't want you sleeping on the street, and yeah, we should fix that." She asserted with a firm nod.  
  
"You've gotta be sure about this, princess. Fuck, this is big." Guzma said.  
  
I’m sure, I like having you around. It really isn’t that big." She shrugged, trying to keep the conversation casual.  
  
"It is for me. Look, I should do more to help you out if we're gonna do this..." He insisted, gripping her shoulders earnestly.  
  
"It’s fine, I can afford it. Money isn’t an issue." Hana insisted again, wondering how many more times she would have to reassure him.  
  
"Yeah but... I need to do somethin', I dunno, should win more battles and split the prize money or somethin’." He protested, unsure but needing to feel useful somehow.  
  
"If you want to contribute, that’s fine, if you can’t then that’s also fine. No stress. And you don’t have to sleep in the bed with me if it makes you uncomfortable, sorry I didn’t really consider that..." Hana said quietly, trailing off.  
  
"Nah!” Guzma put his hands up to stop her. “That’s... uh, well I probably shouldn't be sleepin’ in your bed with you but it’s nice, y’know. I don’t mind if you want some company, it's much better than...”  
  
“You sure? I shouldn't have asked you to do that before.” She looked up at him sadly, having realised her mistake.  
  
“It don’t make me feel uncomfortable or nothin’, I get it. It’s just you here, ‘sides, I've had to do worse for a roof over my head.” Guzma replied softly.  
  
“I'd never ask you to do anything you didn't...” Hana started, finding herself cut off.  
  
“Why were you cryin’ before?” He asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Rough day, that’s all." She said quietly.  
  
“Wasn’t anyone givin’ you crap? Coz I can sort ‘em out for ya.” Guzma said sternly, firmly planting his hands on her shoulders.  
  
“Nah. Just wasn’t a good day.” She shook her head, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and staring at the floor.  
  
"A’ight. You want another one o’ these?" Guzma asked, holding his arms out again.  
  
"Yeah, that would be nice." Hana replied quietly, leaning into him.  
  
"A'ight. C’mere.” He grinned, guiding her arms around his waist and rubbed her back to comfort her.  
  
It wasn't quite the same as comforting a crying teen as he had done years ago, but this was the best he could do in the moment.  
  
"What do you mean you've had to do worse?” She asked as they parted.  
  
"You don't wanna know." Guzma muttered, averting his gaze.  
  
He probably shouldn't have said that, stepping back back and stuffing his hands into his pockets.  
  
"Oh, right." Hana paused. "Well, you don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”  
  
“Cleanin’ makes me uncomfortable.” He grinned, eager to soften the sour mood in the entrance-way.  
  
“Well, you don't have to do me any ‘favours’... Hana frowned, using air quotes. “...to stay here. You’re not a burden and you don't have to do anything for me. Okay? I just like having you around."  
  
"A’ight." Guzma sighed. "I mean, I would if you asked me to, you're a good lookin' girl so I don't really mind if..." He added casually, giving a short shrug.  
  
"Stop." Hana insisted, quickly reaching up to place a finger over his lips.  
  
Thankful for the interruption, Guzma just stared dumbly at her. Why couldn’t he just keep his damn mouth shut?  
  
"Look, if you really want to offer something, just help me carry things that are too heavy, keep me company every now and then and we'll be just fine. Okay? You can relax here, this is no stress household." Hana insisted, eyes firmly fixed on his.  
  
"'Kay." He mumbled through her fingers.  
  
“Good, are you tired?” She asked with a smile, gently patting his cheek as she reached for her phone.  
  
"Not yet, let's just, chill for a bit." Guzma shook his head.  
  
"Alright, smoke break?" She offered, grabbing her box of cigarettes from the coffee table.  
  
"Yeah, sounds good." He muttered, following her.  
  
"Stay inside sweetie, there's yucky smells out here." Hana called to Dolly through the tiny gap in the door as she closed it.  
  
Dolly butted her head against the glass, wanting to follow her master outside but eventually sat, watching for them to return.  
  
Hana offered the box to Guzma as they stood overlooking the beach, but he shook his head and pulled out the box he had bought a few days ago. There were only a few left in the squashed package but hey, he didn't need her for everything.  
  
"Very good. So... I hate to be the one asking boring questions, but we should probably get to know each other a bit more, right?" She asked.  
  
"Mmm. Yeah I guess so." Guzma sighed, rolling his shoulders and staring absently at the waves crashing against the sand.  
  
"Much as I enjoy you being mysterious." She grinned widely, giving him a gentle nudge.  
  
"Heh. Well, there ain't much to tell." He said.  
  
"You grew up here right? I'm trying to remember." Hana asked, leaning in.  
  
"Right on this Island." He replied.  
  
"And you went to school here?" She asked cheerfully.  
  
"And trainer school." Guzma added quickly.  
  
"The one down the road? And you decided you liked bug types?" Hana continued, trying to recount everything she knew about Guzma.  
  
"It was a bit smaller back then but yeah." He agreed.  
  
"Then what happened?" She asked, urging him to continue.  
  
"Uh, I guess I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after school. Earned a bit of money bein’ a trainer, just regular stuff, hangin’ out with mates, tryin' to figure out life I guess." He shrugged.  
  
"Where are your friends now?" She asked.  
  
"They're around. Some of 'em went off to travel, explore the world, y’know how it is." He said quietly.  
  
"Yeah." Hana said sadly.  
  
"Most of us don't talk anymore, differences of opinion an’ all that, no idea what happened to some of 'em. I'm sure they're doin' better than me anyways. What about yours?" Guzma asked, done with the subject.  
  
"Don't really have that many, mostly colleagues and Pokémon Professors that call me to check in. They're not really what I'd consider friends though. I’ve had a lot of people try to cling to me over the years, claw their way up by flashing my name around. Left a bad taste in my mouth." She remarked.  
  
"So you don’t trust people easily?" Guzma mused.  
  
"Pretty much." She nodded, checking her phone.  
  
"What about me?" He grinned, nudging her in the side.  
  
"You _really_ don't strike me as a leech. You have trouble taking the things I do offer." She said, tilting her head and giving him a knowing grin.  
  
"Mhmm." Guzma hummed.  
  
"I’m not an idiot with my money, you don't have to worry. And I'm not worried about you taking advantage of me." Hana said.  
  
"Mmm. What if you do run out of money though?" He wondered aloud.  
  
"I won't." She insisted.  
  
"But what if you do?" He pressed her.  
  
"Then I’ll do what I used to do when I ran low on cash, I’ll take Excadrill out for some adventures." Hana shrugged.  
  
"Your what?" Guzma asked curiously.  
  
"Excadrill, a ground-steel type. Guess you don't have them here then?" She told him.  
  
"Nah." He replied. "Never heard of it."  
  
"Picked her up in Unova a few years back. We’ll dig around for a bit and find some nice minerals or ores and sell them." She offered casually.  
  
"Isn’t that dangerous?" Guzma frowned.  
  
“Nah!” Hana flicked her wrist to dismiss the comment. “I know how to stay safe underground and she’s smart, she knows where to dig and what to avoid. The only issue is getting the shinies away from her once we’ve found them!” She giggled.  
  
"Wow." Guzma remarked, looking slightly impressed.  
  
"I used to spend quite a bit of time underground, it's nice and peaceful and there's plenty of cool stuff to find down there." She added.  
  
"Away from all the people?" He replied.  
  
"Basically, it's a win-win. And if that doesn't work, pearl diving is also pretty relaxing." She nodded.  
  
"Well shit. Never woulda thought that from lookin' atcha." He grinned.  
  
“Most people don’t.” Hana sighed, folding her arms behind her head. “Even if you find yourself with a comfortable amount of money, you still need to earn a bit here and there so you don’t ever run out. It’s much easier to spend money than to save it.”  
  
"Yeah. You got that right." Guzma sighed.  
  
"Hey, a bit off topic but... I don't even have your phone number." She remarked.  
  
"Oh. Yeah about that..." He groaned.  
  
"You do have a phone number, right?" Hana asked with a sly smile.  
  
She had crouched down, pretending to poke Dolly through the glass door as the creature turned in circles, trying to find a way through.  
  
"Lost my phone a while ago." Guzma lied.  
  
"Jeez, you must be the unluckiest guy I've ever met. Good thing I'm not short on cash." She scolded, her smile softening as she stood.  
  
"What?! Nah! Don't buy me a fuckin' phone!" He gasped.  
  
"You can pick one out or you can accept the one I choose for you." Hana replied, pouting in an almost childish way.  
  
"You've just given me a place to stay and now you wanna buy me a phone?! I can't fuckin'..." He panted.  
  
"You can." Hana nodded, reaching out to take his hands in hers. "For when I need to contact you, or when you need to talk to others who don't live nearby. It's really not a big deal, having a phone is a necessity these days."  
  
Guzma gritted his teeth and made a groaning noise, leaning away from her in discomfort.  
  
"Please let me do this for you. If you're ever in trouble again, I want you to be able to call the po... " Hana paused, stopping herself as she remembered how he hadn't wanted the police involved when she first found him. "...call someone to come help you."  
  
Guzma groaned again, rolling his eyes but Hana didn't let up. She gripped his upper arms softly, thumbs rubbing comforting circles through the sleeves of his hoodie.  
  
"Unless you want me to follow you around and make damn sure nobody else bothers you? I want you to be safe, Guzma. You can accept a gift, right?" She asked hopefully. "It's for my peace of mind. Okay? Being able to contact people is important." She continued, giving him a quick squeeze to make him look at her.  
  
"Phones are expensive! You can't just..." He groaned, gritting his teeth as she cut him off again.  
  
"Can't what? Throw money at problems until they go away? It doesn't work for everything but I'm in a position where I can try." She said casually.  
  
"Don't..." He started, groaning a little louder and pulling her into a tight hug. "...don't spend too much."  
  
Hana pressed her face into his chest with a smile, winding her arms around him.  
  
"I'm gonna pay you back for it." Guzma added, nuzzling into the top of her head.  
  
"Not if it's a gift." Hana leaned back to look into his eyes, her own dark brown eyes twinkling mischievously.  
  
He regarded for a moment, carefully watching her face for any signs that she was joking, but he didn't see anything to make him believe that. Guzma cursed to himself.  
  
"I don't like this but I don't want you to worry about me. I'll pick somethin' that won't cost too much, a'ight? Don't need anythin' fancy like what you've got." He said finally.  
  
"You sure? It's pretty nice, lots of space for apps and..." She started.  
  
"Nothin' fancy, in case I break it or lose it." He insisted.  
  
"Okay. We'll go to a store tomorrow to get something set up for you." Hana said matter-of-factly, finally letting him go.  
  
"Why are you doin' all this for me?" He groaned, resting his elbows on the railing and hoping he'd vanish.  
  
"I dunno, I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty face." She grinned, blushing a little.  
  
"I don't like bein' given stuff. I'd rather earn it, I ain't the same guy I used to be." Guzma let out a long sigh, turning away from her, partly to hide a small smile.  
  
"You can earn it. That's what being friends is all about, giving and taking, on both sides. Or rather, giving and accepting what is given." Hana corrected herself.  
  
"You really wanna be friends with a guy like me?" Guzma asked, turning back to her.  
  
"Aren't we already?" Hana said, answering the question with a soft voice.  
  
"It ain't too late to say no, princess." He replied, giving a weak smile.  
  
"Look, you might not think you're a good person, but neither am I and you're good enough for me. I care about you. I want you to be safe and happy and I'll do everything I can to make sure that happens. Can you accept that?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
"This is a lot. I just need to process all o' this." Guzma said, resting his head in his hands.  
  
Turning his back to the ocean, Guzma stared into the small apartment for a moment, ignoring the needy little Leafeon who mewed for their attention. It really was a shoebox, but it was better than nothing, even with the tiny and rarely used kitchen. They stood in silence, as Guzma thought hard about what he could offer to feel like less of a burden before finally speaking up, several minutes later.  
  
"Hey, what about, I cook for you sometime?" He offered thoughtfully.  
  
"Huh? I mean, sure, there isn't much to work with here." Hana shrugged, still staring out at the sea.  
  
"I ain't exactly a chef but I can make do. 'Sides, never seen you use the stovetop." Guzma added casually.  
  
"Maybe you haven't." She suggested.  
  
"Princess?" He said suddenly, his voice sounding smug.  
  
"Yes?" Hana replied sarcastically.  
  
“You do know how to cook, right?” He asked, turning to look at her with one eyebrow cocked.  
  
“I can do beans and rice." She chuckled nervously.  
  
“In a rice cooker, and for your Pokémon. That's not really...” Guzma began to reply, finding his words cut off.  
  
“I just never needed to. Okay?” Hana snapped.  
  
“You're how old and you don't know how to cook?!" He sneered, nudging her with his elbow.  
  
“Twenty five, and no, I don't." She replied curtly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
"Fuckin' knew it." He grinned, turning back to the ocean.  
  
"There was no point when I was travelling. Leave me alone." Hana retorted, rounding on him and planting her feet.  
  
With all the badges, stacks of cash and powerful allies behind her, it was hard to believe that the former Champion of Johto was getting riled up over something so simple. Guzma knew he was pushing his luck, but something about the way Hana looked when she was angry was exciting.  
  
"Cute. Look, much as I like havin' fancy restaurant food, it's good to know how to cook. So, ya boy's gonna cook you a few dinners, okay?" Guzma said, pleased to have one-upped her even a little bit.  
  
"Fine." Hana muttered, eager for the confrontation to be over.  
  
"Home-cooked meals are the best. You're gonna help me, and remember how to do 'em, okay?" Guzma grinned, pulling Hana against his side roughly.  
  
Finally, something he could do that she couldn't.  
  
“Sure.” Hana grumbled, feeling a little ashamed that she couldn't offer him something so simple.  
  
“’Sides, you can’t live on takeout. It's not good for you.” He added, giving her a quick squeeze.  
  
“I’m doing okay." She muttered, shoving him away playfully.  
  
“Yeah, but, it’s good to know how to take care o’ yourself." Guzma said.  
  
“Mhmm.” Hana hummed sarcastically, turning to Guzma and raising an eyebrow.  
  
“What’s that face for?" He growled, pressing his lips together and leaning closer to intimidate her.  
  
“Considering you’ve probably been sleeping rough, you’re in no place to lecture me about healthy habits." Hana huffed, raising her chin defiantly.  
  
"Look, I ain’t always been on the street, that’s a more recent thing." He replied, kicking at the ground.  
  
"Guzma." Hana fixed him with a serious look, gripping his upper arm and turning him to face her. "What's going on with you? Why don't you have a home to go to? Did it wash away in a storm, did your girlfriend kick you out?"  
  
"I have a home to go to." Guzma huffed, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"So why don't you want to go home?" She asked softly.  
  
"Disagreement." He muttered.  
  
"You argued with your flatmates?" She asked.  
  
"Parents." Guzma corrected her with a sigh, turning back to the ocean view.  
  
"Oh, right. No judgement, I get it." Hana replied, still eyeing him with a little suspicion.  
  
Guzma let out a long sigh, gripping the railing and wondering how to avoid talking about his past.  
  
"Don't really wanna talk about it." He muttered, taking a long drag from the cigarette to stop himself from saying too much.  
  
"I get that. As an adult it's difficult to live at home. I can't imagine living with my Mom again." Hana shrugged, shaking her head at the thought.  
  
"Mhmm." He grunted in reply, thankful that the conversation seemed to be coming to an end.  
  
"No stress. I just want to understand what’s going on." Hana said softly.  
  
"Gettin’ kinda tired, you wanna sleep?" Guzma sighed, stubbing out his cigarette and turning to leave.  
  
"Yeah, sure thing." She sighed, extinguishing her own and following him inside.  
  
"Might uh, sleep on the couch tonight." He sighed, shrugging off his hoodie.  
  
The bench behind the Police Station wasn't at all comfortable, nor did it provide any shelter, but as long as he handed over enough cash to the patrolling officers he would be safe there. Of course they knew who he was and were surprised to see him with stacks of dollar bills, but he was the least of their worries now.  
  
'Washed up', pathetic and harmless, the officers had said as they continued their patrol route, it was insulting but better than being in danger. Guzma definitely didn't want to show up to Hana's place covered in blood, bruises or anything else nasty.  
  
"You sure?" Hana asked quietly, getting a simple nod as a response. "Alright." She nodded, pulling the door to let a little air inside.  
  
Dolly was rudely awoken from her warm spot on the couch as her master scooped her up gently, cooing as she stroked over the creatures fur to soothe her.  
  
"Stay for a few nights this time, okay?" She asked quietly, stepping behind the partition to relocate her Pokémon.  
  
"Mmm... only coz you're askin’ me so nicely." He grinned as she reappeared, Dolly-less.  
  
"I've missed having you around." She added quickly.  
  
"Yeah?" Guzma asked.  
  
"Uhuh." She nodded, shrugging off her jacket and laying it over the chair in the corner of her room.  
  
Hana pulled the spare comforter out of the wardrobe, retrieving a pillow and handing them over as she watched him set up the sofa-bed as she had explained earlier.  
  
"Kinda missed you too." He muttered sheepishly.  
  
"Sleep well." She smiled, giving him a quick nod before disappearing around the partition.  
  
"Yeah, you too. See you in the mornin'." Guzma called back.  
  
Li must have still been in a Pokéball, he thought, moving around the small apartment to turn off all the lights. He settled down and pulled the comforter up, knowing that he would get a decent nights sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! Writers block hit me like a truck, I have a plan for where this is going but it's just getting to each milestone that can prove difficult. I don't want to rush building up a relationship between the two but I know you guys dont want 60,000 words per chapter.


	11. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We need to talk about ~~Kevin~~ Guzma."
> 
> Warning for brief mention of physical violence/child abuse.

It wasn't difficult to rouse Guzma from sleep, no matter how relaxed he seem to feel at any given time. Hana, usually rather quiet once hitting the pillow, had tossed and turned through the night. The rustle of sheets disturbing her new housemate every time he seemed to drift closer to the promise of restful sleep.  
  
Even Dolly's presence wasn't quite as soothing to her tonight as a pair of strong male arms cradling her gently. The small creature had to reposition herself several times, needing to be closer to her Masters face before finding rest for the night.  
  
So close yet so far, Guzma had come back to her for shelter in the very least. Hana rolled over reaching out to close her hand around nothing. When had she become so lonely? She felt pathetic, forced to embrace the sting of shame. She was supposed to be strong, to not need anyone but herself and her Pokémon companions.  
  
She pulled Dolly closer, lamenting that she must have felt the same way for Guzma as her furry friend did for her.  
  
"Sorry, sweetness." She whispered as Dolly pressed her tiny wet nose into Hana's hand. "You know I love you."  
  
Dolly chirped happily, nuzzling into Hana's hand until her entire face was buried.  
  
"I'm okay." She lied, brushing Dolly's leafy pompadour backwards and watching it spring forward like an unruly lock of hair.  
  
-  
  
The soft padding of Hana's feet on the carpet let Guzma know that it was morning and that he had in fact dozed off at some point. He hadn't slept well, the lack of a warm body beside him was normal yet upsetting. He had listened to her toss and turn for what seemed like hours, wishing that he could curl up with her and hold her still.  
  
No, he needed to think.  
  
"Missed you last night." Hana said quietly, stroking Guzma's arm with the back of her hand as she sat gingerly on the edge of the mattress.  
  
"Mmm." He groaned, turning his head to face her and cracking an eye open.  
  
"Did you sleep okay?" She asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper.  
  
"Yeah. I just uh... y'know, needed to process some shit." He grumbled, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes.  
  
"I know, I know, you don't want free stuff. I respect that, but we're making a trade aren't we? You'll have a new phone and I'll learn how to cook a few things. You're right, I don't really know how to cook anything that isn't done in the microwave." She sighed, it felt kind of good to finally say it out loud.  
  
Guzma hummed in agreement, still a little unsure of the loose deal they had made last night. He rolled over onto his back and reached out to pat her knee.  
  
"If there's anything you _need_ then we should pick it up today and then we're done. Okay?" Hana stated, picking up her phone to begin ordering breakfast.  
  
"Wait." He groaned, removing her phone from her hand and dropping it beside her.  
  
"What's up?" She asked, frowning.  
  
"We're gonna go out and get breakfast, a'ight?" He said firmly.  
  
"Um... I'm not really a people person until I've had coffee." Hana groaned.  
  
"You're not a people person full stop. C'mere." Guzma beckoned her closer.  
  
Hana smiled and crawled over to lay beside him, resting her cheek on his chest as she draped an arm over his waist.  
  
"That's better." He hummed sleepily, patting her back and let out a long yawn. "A'ight, what's the plan after breakfast?"  
  
"Um, well you want to go get breakfast, then I guess we can go to the electronics store, get you a phone and set it up. Then I guess we can get some food shopping done?" She groaned, looking up at him.  
  
"Sounds good." He nodded, his eyes stayed shut.  
  
"You okay?" She asked softly.  
  
"Yeah, just need to get used to all o' this. Like I said, I don't get people wanting to help me." Guzma said bitterly.  
  
"Everyone else is stupid then." Hana pouted.  
  
"Nah, there's a reason for it. Guess I need to tell you before you hear it from someone else." He said grimly.  
  
"Later, okay? There's some stuff I need to tell you too, but we should talk about it after dinner." She agreed.  
  
"Kinda heavy?" Guzma asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Yeah." She nodded.  
  
"So's mine." He sighed. "But yeah, not right now. We should get up soon."  
  
"Yeah, we'll have a nice day out, then unload. Okay?" Hana offered.  
  
"Sure." He sighed.  
  
"Then you can decide if you want to give back your key." She said sadly.  
  
"Nah." Guzma shook his head, pulling her closer to him until her head rested on the pillow beside his. "I wanna stay here with you." He said firmly, brushing some hair off her cheek.  
  
"You're welcome to change your mind whenever you want." Hana whispered.  
  
"This is a good deal, I'm a pretty stupid motherfucker, but I ain't gonna turn this away. And I'm not gonna mooch off you and do nothin' in return, 'kay?" He insisted.  
  
"I know." Hana smiled.  
  
"I just... needed to get over myself." Guzma huffed, bumping his forehead against hers. "C'mon, we should get up."  
  
"Looks like you already are." Hana teased, pointing towards his rather impressive morning wood as she sat up.  
  
"Just ignore it, it'll go away." He grinned, swatting Hana's arm as she stood up to get dressed.  
  
-  
  
Hana's phone began to ring as they left the apartment complex, the name on the screen causing her to groan and toss it back into her bag without answering.  
  
"Someone tryin' to get hold of you?" Guzma grinned, giving her a friendly nudge.  
  
"No-one important." She replied coldly, elbowing him back. "They can leave a message."  
  
"A'ight, so a house ain't a home unless there's stuff goin' on the kitchen." Guzma started, turning to see Hana start to open her mouth to say something smart. "And that ain't me bein' sexist, it don't have to be you. 'Sides, you'd probably burn everything, I'll show you how it's done." He added, elbowing her in the arm.  
  
"Fine." She sighed, letting him win the little 'shove' game. "Spark Electronics is our first stop."  
  
"Yeah a'ight." He groaned, following her through the sliding doors.  
  
The purchase was made quickly, Hana not allowing herself to be talked into buying something more expensive as Guzma walked the aisles. One of the clerks followed him throughout but he knew better than to start a fight this time.  
  
Her phone buzzed again but she ignored it, dropping it back into her bag and letting it continue to ring. Hana waved him over, signalling that they should leave as she collected the bag and headed for the doors. Out on the street she held the bag out to him.  
  
"Sim card and cell phone. Everything's in there." She nodded  
  
"Didn't have to buy me a phone..." Guzma muttered, taking the bag.  
  
"Hey, you said you were getting over yourself. You _need_ a phone." Hana insisted.  
  
"Not one with Internet and shit!" He gasped, pulling out the box and turning it to read all the promotional material.  
  
Hana shrugged, shooting him an uncaring glance as she led him to a cafe for them to eat, checking her phone again and holding down the button to switch it off entirely. She ordered two stacks of pancakes and coffee, letting him place his own coffee order and frowning when he asked for Tapu Cocoa.  
  
Guzma groaned and sighed the entire time, installing the sim card in the back of the phone as they waited for their food to be brought out. Hana continued to ignore his grumblings, insisting that she had already paid and wouldn't go get him another. Finally, the device chimed and began to start up.  
  
He could barely contain the smile on his face as the screen lit up and asked him to choose a PIN code. The smile went unnoticed, but the hands he reached across the table to grip Hana's certainly didn't. She nodded, returning the smile as he quietly muttered 'thanks'.  
  
After their drinks arrived, Guzma slid his new phone across the table, one hand occupied with pouring hot chocolate down his throat. The menu was open on an empty contacts list. With a cheeky grin, she entered her number under the name 'Princess' and saved it before handing the device back.  
  
Eating an entire stack of pancakes with butter, whipped cream and sweet berries wasn't difficult, but handing over the last of his cash to cover the meal was tough. It was easier though than allowing Hana to pay for his meal and let the sinking feeling settle into his stomach.  
  
Not even twenty minutes later Guzma had to grab Hana to stop her from walking right through the fresh section at the supermarket. He pulled her back gently and told her to grab several items, patting her gently on the back as she rolled her eyes but did as she was told. She was almost like a child, Guzma thought, but decided not to call her out on it in front of the other shoppers.  
  
Groaning that they could just buy frozen meals, Hana huffed and crossed her arms as Guzma placed several items in the basket she carried. He decided to place the meat in his own basket after she commented on how gross it looked.  
  
Guzma hadn't expected her to be so difficult and stubborn, yet thinking back he had also been somewhat difficult with her when they had first met.  
  
"What are we making then?" She groaned, clearly bored by the experience.  
  
"Lot's o' stuff, I was thinkin', spaghetti and meatballs tonight? Been fuckin' ages since I had that." Guzma said.  
  
"Messy." Hana muttered.  
  
"Tastes fuckin' great though. Come on lazy-ass, we made a deal." He grinned, ushering her into the next aisle.  
  
"Are we making the sauce too?" She asked with a groan.  
  
"Nah fuck that. If I make it it'll taste awful. Leave that shit to the experts." He replied, setting several jars of pasta sauce in her basket.  
  
"So what _do_ you know how to make?" Hana asked, her voice was sarcastic.  
  
"Does it matter? We both have phones with internet now, if there's something you feel like we can give it a go." Guzma replied casually.  
  
Hana eyed him suspiciously, taking note that he avoided the question but nodded. She really hadn't expected him to know how to make anything but instant noodles.  
  
"Look, why don't we just start with steak and chips? You need to know how to cook meat all the way through so you don't get sick. And we'll get frozen chips so you can just chuck 'em in the oven, nice and easy." He sighed.  
  
"Fine." She huffed.  
  
"I ain't into the domestic shit either, but we're both doin' this." Guzma chuckled, wrapping an arm around her neck to pull her into a loose headlock. "Cut the attitude, I'm tryin' to help."  
  
"I know." She grumbled, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into his chest.  
  
"You said no stress, I'll stop teasin' you if you chill out, 'kay?" He offered.  
  
"People are staring." Hana glared up at him.  
  
"Don't care right now. You gonna drop the attitude?" Guzma asked, a sly grin painted on his lips.  
  
"Hey! Cut that out and leave the poor girl alone!" A male voice called from behind them making Guzma curse and quickly let go of Hana.  
  
"It's alright, Sir." Hana sighed as Guzma retreated backwards with both hands held up in surrender. "He wasn't hurting me."  
  
"Ma'am, you know this guy is trouble right? You've been warned about this, Guzma. Come on, you can't man-handle our customers like this. You're already on your last warning, we're gonna have to..." The employee started.  
  
"Stop, he wasn't man-handling me!" Hana replied, raising her voice.  
  
"I get it, I'll leave." Guzma groaned, setting down his shopping basket and turning to walk out.  
  
"No! Don't leave!" She cried, grabbing his hand and pulling him back to her side. "Look, this is just a misunderstanding."  
  
"Ma'am, you don't need to cover for this piece of trash. He does this all the time." The young man crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Guzma.  
  
"Kindly refrain from calling my partner trash, nobody was hurt and no laws have been broken. Can we please continue out shopping?" She asked, gripping Guzma’s hand tightly and lacing their fingers together.  
  
"Ma'am, maybe you don't know the whole story, but this guy is trash through and through. We don't want people like him shopping here and disturbing our customers." The clerk retorted, his face twisted with disgust at the sight of their connected hands.  
  
"Seems like you're the only one who is disturbing people! Maybe he _was_ a piece of shit in the past but we've done nothing wrong today!" Hana said angrily.  
  
"I've already called the Manager to issue him a trespass notice, you can take it up with him. Stay right there until he arrives!" The young man demanded.  
  
"Princess, you don't have to do this. I'm used to it." Guzma sighed, trying to pull away.  
  
"And I hate that you're used to this sort of treatment! I won't let people treat you like scum, I don't care what you used to do, you've done nothing wrong." She spat.  
  
"Shouldn't have grabbed you like that." He groaned, palming his face with his free hand.  
  
"I should have made it more obvious that you weren't hurting me." Hana said softly, letting go of his hand slowly.  
  
"Nah it ain't your fault." Guzma shook his head.  
  
"Well I'm here and it's my problem now too." She replied, putting her hands on her hips and taking a deep breath to prepare herself.  
  
They waited in silence, Guzma stuffed his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground impatiently. Hana muttered something under her breath about the meat going bad if they had to wait for too long.  
  
Finally, and older gentleman appeared, stopping to speak to his employee with hushed voices. He was wearing a short sleeved shirt and tie, a shiny name badge pinned to his shirt marking him as someone of importance.  
  
"Good morning, Ma'am, I'm the manager and owner of the store, would you two like to come with me for a chat?" The older man addressed them finally.  
  
"Should we leave these here or..?" Hana asked sadly, glancing down at the shopping baskets.  
  
"I'll have someone collect your items and set the baskets aside while we talk." The Manager nodded, gesturing for the two to follow him.  
  
"Wait here please, young man." The Manager gestured for Guzma to sit in one of the chairs along the wall in the narrow corridor.  
  
A plaque engraved with 'Manager' was set into the door at the end of the hall, photographs lined the walls, 'employee of the year' pictures with multiple different young men and women. The male from before followed them into the hallway, his eyes locked on Guzma as he stood, arms crossed and ready to block his exit if he decided to run.  
  
-  
  
"Nice to meet you..." Hana started, holding out her hand to the manager as he closed the door behind them.  
  
"You can call me Malcolm." He replied courteously, shaking her hand.  
  
"Malcolm, hi, my name is Hanako Mizutani. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clear this up." She said.  
  
"Miss Mizutani..." The older man nodded. "Hmm, I seem to recall reading that name somewhere." He added thoughtfully.  
  
"I'm sure you have. Anyway, about that back there." She began.  
  
"Please, sit down." Malcolm gestured to a chair in front of his desk, moving behind it to take his seat.  
  
Hana sighed, mentally cracking her knuckles and sat politely in the chair, resting her hands in her lap and waited.  
  
"Ma'am, we have several witnesses saying that your companion grabbed you in a headlock." Malcolm recounted, locking his fingers together and resting his chin.  
  
"He did yes, but the intention wasn't to hurt me. My partner was just teasing me, I'm not hurt and there wasn't any force behind it." Hana told him.  
  
"I see. Are you sure that that is what happened? You are safe in here, you can tell me if you believe you are in danger." He replied.  
  
"I wasn't in danger, I didn't call for help, wasn't struggling to breathe and I wasn't afraid of being harmed. Guzma is a big guy but he's not dangerous. Malcolm, do you see any marks on my neck?" Hana asked softly, pulling her hair back into a ponytail with her fingers and turning her head.  
  
"No, I don't." The Manager sighed. "However if you decide that you would like to press charges, the Police are on their way."  
  
"So I can explain the exact same thing to them." She nodded. "I understand how it looked, but honestly it was just a friendly disagreement over what to have for dinner tonight."  
  
"I can appreciate that, Miss, but my hands are tied. I can't have people being attacked in my store, 'play-fight' or no." He sighed.  
  
"Guzma would never hurt me, I can promise you that and so will he. Nobody was hurt, nobody was shouting or causing a scene, do you also kick out boisterous children?" She asked, frustration building in her voice.  
  
"Well, no but kids are different." Malcolm said solemnly.  
  
"That's basically all he knows, it was just harmless rough-housing!" She chuckled. "Malcolm, I was a Champion once, do you really think I'd allow someone to hurt me like that? Especially in a public space."  
  
Tha Manager hummed, recollection flashed in his eyes as he fit the pieces together. Her name, her face, she had indeed been in the newspapers several years ago. The youngest trainer to receive the title of Champion at the Johto League.  
  
Perfect, Hana thought, and made her next move.  
  
"Look, if you just allow us to talk to the Police and clear this up, we'll go quietly back to our shopping and I'll buy ten of your most expensive wines to sweeten the deal. No harm was done and I doubt that you want to lose business over a simple misunderstanding." She said with a soft smile.  
  
Malcolm paused, his eyes widened for a moment as he took in what she had said. He stroked his short beard thoughtfully, eyes wandering to the window of the office for a moment. You didn't mess with Champions or their friends, that was a sure fire way to lose money.  
  
"Hmm. You're really trying to straighten him out, huh?" He asked.  
  
"Guzma is actually really sweet, he's just been through a lot." She offered, unsure how to elaborate on the topic if pressed.  
  
"I know he has, Miss." Malcolm sighed. "Look, no-one wanted him to end up like his Father, there's only so much a community can do. But you keep that wine to yourself, understand?"  
  
"I will. Do you know his family?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, mind running wild.  
  
"I went to school with his Mother. She deserved better then to end up with that..." Malcolm paused, frowning and clearly trying not to fully express his disgust.  
  
"Rotten drunk?" Hana offered as casually as possible.  
  
"Well, yeah. It's hard to blame the kid for ending up how he did. You really think you can sort him out?" He asked, frowning in disbelief.  
  
"I'm doing my best, but I don't think a 'heavy hand' is the way to deal with Guzma. And exiling him from public areas isn't going to help him in the long term." She said firmly.  
  
Malcolm let out a long sigh, stroking his beard again as he considered his options.  
  
"Alright. If anyone's gonna turn that poor kids life around, it'll be a Champion." He said finally with a slow nod. "No more rough-housing in the store and keep your language family friendly. If anything changes, he _will_ have to leave."  
  
"I understand, thank you, Malcolm." Hana smiled, offering her hand for a shake.  
  
"My pleasure, Miss Mizutani." Malcolm reached across the desk to shake her hand firmly. "Well, I think I've kept you guys in here long enough, please enjoy the rest of your visit and feel free to browse for as long as you wish." He smiled, gesturing to the door.  
  
After what felt like an hour, though it was only about twenty minutes, Malcolm opened and held the door for Hana step out into the small corridor where a Police Officer stood either side of Guzma.  
  
Malcolm cleared his throat, standing up straight to address the Officers directly.  
  
"Terribly sorry about the misunderstanding, Officers. Seems we have jumped the gun, so to say." He said calmly.  
  
"Huh?" The taller male Officer blurted out, clearly confused.  
  
"It seems these two were just play-fighting, no harm no foul. We reviewed the footage and cleared up the situation, I've issued them a verbal warning for the disruption." Malcolm nodded.  
  
"Oh. Uh, are you sure, Miss?" The shorter male Officer asked Hana.  
  
"Very. Can we return to our shopping now? I don't want the meat to go bad." She smiled, clasping her hands together in front of her.  
  
"Your baskets were placed in the chiller, I'll have an employee bring them up to the front for you. Have a great day, Sir, Miss." Malcolm smiled and showed them all out of the Office area.  
  
"Thank you, Sir. You have good day too." Hana nodded as they stepped out of the corridor into the store again.  
  
The Police Officers hung back to speak to the manager as Hana and Guzma stood a few metres from the door to wait for their shopping to be brought back to them.  
  
"The fuck did you say to him?" Guzma whispered frantically to Hana.  
  
"It's easy to talk your way out of a situation when you've done nothing wrong." She smiled.  
  
"Thought I was goin' in the slammer for sure this time." He muttered angrily.  
  
"For what?" Hana chuckled. "It was more of a hug than a headlock, besides, they know who I am now." She nodded, giving him a sly grin.  
  
"You don't have to do this for me." Guzma sighed.  
  
"I have it covered. What else do we need to pick up while we're here?" She asked. "I want to go home."  
  
"Fuck, hadn't really thought about it." He groaned, scratching at the back of his neck.  
  
"Shh. Language." She hushed him.  
  
"Right uh, hey..." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Are we keepin' up this boyfriend-girlfriend act til we leave?"  
  
"We sure are. Just a normal couple doing their food shopping." Hana whispered back, placing her hands on his upper arms and rubbing gentle circles there. "No swearing and no more 'play-fighting', okay?" She asked, leaning back to look into his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, a'ight." He muttered.  
  
She nodded, pulling him for a quick hug. "You've got to start standing up for yourself."  
  
"I'm tryin', but..." Guzma had to pull away from the hug as a young man approached the two, clearing his throat.  
  
"Hey there, Miss Mizutani? Here's your shopping, uh, please continue to browse our fine items." The confused employee stepped forward, holding the two baskets and handing the heavier one over to Guzma.  
  
Hana stepped back to take her basket, this was a different young man than the one who had accused them of any misconduct.  
  
"We will, thank you." She said with a friendly smile.  
  
"Come on, babe." Hana smiled, holding her hand out for Guzma to take.  
  
"You _sure_ you don't want me to carry both of them?" He asked cautiously.  
  
"Mhmm. It's not heavy." Hana nodded, deciding to just link her arm in his instead. "But there are a few things you'll need to carry for me once we're done with the food."  
  
"Yeah, no problem." He sighed.  
  
-  
  
"Okay, so I need..." Hana paused, setting her basket down and quickly scanning the bottles of wine for the highest prices.  
  
"You're kidding!" He gasped, following her line of sight.  
  
"What, you don't want to enjoy a nice drink with dinner, _darling?_ " She teased.  
  
"Ugh, whatever you want, _dearest_." He groaned, setting the basket down, knowing he would have to grab the ones higher up for her to look at.  
  
"I'm not drinking bottom shelf wine, I was a Champion!" Hana giggled. "Besides, I should support the local economy right?" She hummed, pointing at a bottle on the top shelf.  
  
"This is pretty expensive stuff." He groaned, grabbing it and handing her the bottle carefully.  
  
"Mmm, sounds good, from fruit grown right here in Alola... Volcanic soil... something something... Alright, let's give it a try." She smiled, placing it in her basket.  
  
"Gotta be kidding me." Guzma sighed, reaching for another she pointed at to inspect closer.  
  
"I want to try a few at least, haven't had Alolan wine before. Can you grab that one for me to look at?" Hana asked, pointing at another bottle with a lavish price tag.  
  
"Don't you think that's enough, _sweetheart?_ " He asked her through gritted teeth.  
  
"Just a few more, _dear_ , in case I don't like one. Besides, I need to see how they compare to my favourites back home." She nodded firmly, giving him a pat on the arm. "I'm not going to drink them all in one week!" Hana added with a giggle.  
  
"This is to say thank you to the Manager for not throwing you out. Calm down." She whispered as he handed her a third bottle.  
  
"How many do you need?!" Guzma whispered back, angrily.  
  
"It's fine. This will build trust." She hummed, placing it in her basket and pointing at a bottle of champagne.  
  
"I told you not to spend too much!" He growled, but didn't fight her on it.  
  
"It's fine. No more after this." Hana insisted, taking it carefully and pretended to read the label before placing it in his basket.  
  
"I don't like this." He growled.  
  
"We can stir one of the reds into the pasta sauce, people do that right?" She said happily, turning back to the shelf.  
  
"This ain't cookin' wine!" He hissed into her ear.  
  
"Stop making a fuss, we're doing this." Hana said firmly, brushing her thumb over his cheek.  
  
"Fine." Guzma frowned, his brows knitted together and he took a deep breath. "No more after this."  
  
Hana nodded, and directed him to reach a few more bottles until she had ten between their two baskets. He was silent, brooding all the way to the cash registers at the front and while unloading the items onto the conveyor belt. The two worked together to stack the items, Hana asked for a packet of cigarettes as Guzma finished up. Finally the cashier began to ring up the bottles of wine and pressed the call button for a manager as he finished scanning the last bottle.  
  
"Hey there guys, find anything nice for dinner?" Malcolm, the manager stepped up quickly to check Hana's I.D. with a friendly wave.  
  
"We did, thank you, Malcolm." Hana said with a smile, handing over her card.  
  
"There we go, well over 18, punch this date into the system." He told the cashier, showing him the card and pointing out the date.  
  
"Uh, Sir, what about him?" The young man asked his boss.  
  
"I know him, he's well over eighteen but I needed verification from this young lady. They're cleared for purchase, but Guzma?" Malcolm paused, addressing him directly.  
  
"Hmm?" He replied.  
  
"Make sure you find your I.D. card or get another one issued soon, okay? I can't make exceptions like this again." Malcolm gave him a firm nod.  
  
"Yeah, I'll find it." Guzma groaned, crossing his arms. "Uh, thanks."  
  
"Not a problem, young man, enjoy the rest of your day, you two." The Manager smiled, giving them both a nod and heading back to his office.  
  
"Thank you!" Hana called after him, reaching out to test the weight of each bag.  
  
"I got 'em." Guzma muttered, gathering the handles together.  
  
-  
  
"Why don't you have an I.D. card?" Hana asked him as they made their way through the streets back to her apartment.  
  
"Told you, I lost it." He said with a sigh.  
  
"Did you really? I'd appreciate it if you were honest with me." She said softly.  
  
"I didn't lie. My Dad took it, I think, or he threw it out, I dunno." Guzma shrugged, cursing as the bottles clinked together.  
  
"So you need to get a new one?" Hana asked, chewing at a fingernail.  
  
"I'm workin' on it, okay? Let me do that myself." He huffed.  
  
"I was going to." She said casually.  
  
"Good." Guzma said.  
  
"Alright, come on the Master Chef, show me how to turn all of this into actual food." Hana chuckled, trying to change the subject.  
  
"Princess, you need to stop doin' this." He sighed, fixing her with a determined stare.  
  
"Doing what?" Hana asked coldly.  
  
"Bailin' me out, bribin' people to look the other way. It ain't right." He huffed.  
  
"I haven't had to go full 'Karen' yet. Besides, why are you so defensive about what I do with my own money?" She giggled.  
  
"Because it's MY problem, not yours!" Guzma hissed.  
  
"Well, this is what happens when you have friends. They help." She shrugged, watching him kick at the ground in frustration. "Guzma?"  
  
"What?!" He barked.  
  
"You said you wanted to tell me something before I found out from other people. Well, the Manager told me something about your family." Hana said calmly.  
  
"What did he tell you?" Guzma asked, anger present in his voice already.  
  
"That your father is a drunk and that your mother deserves better than him." She said solemnly.  
  
"Did he say anything else?" He asked angrily.  
  
"No, that's all." Hana replied.  
  
He nodded, closing his eyes and breathing deeply through his nose. She could see that he was angry, and fighting hard to not let it get to him. Guzma glared a hole into the ground as they walked, saying nothing, with his face set into a deep scowl.  
  
As they neared the apartment he stopped, setting the bags down and shaking the stiffness from his hands before running them through his hair.  
  
"Can I have a smoke?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah, hang on." Hana replied, setting hers down and reaching into her bag.  
  
She pulled two from her packet and the lighter, handing one to him but pulling it back as he reached out for it.  
  
"I didn't ask him, you know. He just mentioned it, as if everyone knew." Hana said sadly, letting him take the cigarette.  
  
"Yeah." He said quietly, putting the stick in his mouth and waiting for the lighter.  
  
"Look..." Guzma paused to take the lighter, sparking up the end of his cigarette before handing it back and taking a long drag. "If I start talkin' about this shit, I ain't gonna feel like cooking or anything."  
  
"That's okay." She nodded.  
  
"But I want you to hear it from me, not from anyone who lives around here who thinks they know all about me and my fucked up family. They don't know shit about me!" He spat.  
  
Hana hummed in agreement, taking an equally long drag from her own cigarette and shuffling her feet in discomfort.  
  
"Thanks for tellin' me, by the way." He added.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, of course. " She said casually.  
  
"Much as I don't like snitches..." Guzma warned, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"He shouldn't be talking about those kinds of things, even if he assumed I already knew." Hana nodded.  
  
"Yeah. Good to know you're not a total write off." He chuckled darkly.  
  
-  
  
They set the food items aside quickly, stocking the too-small fridge with meat trays and vegetables. Hana set some of the fruit on the counter in a large bowl that Guzma retrieved for her from a high shelf.  
  
Soon, all that was left were the bottles, four were champagne and Hana eyed two of them eagerly. She picked it up, peeling back the foil on top and reaching for another one.  
  
"Whatcha doin'?" Guzma asked as he scrunched up the paper bags and tossed them into the bin.  
  
"Fuck it. Nothing better to do with good booze than drink it. Besides, you look like you need it." Hana hummed, taking them over to sink to open them.  
  
"Let me do it." He grinned, taking one of the bottles from her.  
  
"Think I'm not strong enough?" Hana growled.  
  
"I'm trying to help, Princess!" Guzma chuckled, watching her try to get a grip on the cork.  
  
The cork in the bottle he held came free easily with a pop, a little froth spilling out into the sink.  
  
"Fine." Hana grunted, handing it over.  
  
"Shouldn't encourage day-drinking." He teased, popping the second cork easily and handing it back to her with an eyebrow raised.  
  
"As long as it doesn't become a regular thing, come on, you'll feel better after a drink or two." Hana grinned, eager to lighten the mood.  
  
She watched him take a long drink from the bottle, not bothering to let the flavour linger on his tongue. Guzma let out a pleased sigh as he finished and walked past her to sit down on the pull-out bed.  
  
Hana followed him, sitting closer to the edge and crossing her legs as Guzma leaned against the back of the couch.  
  
"Yeah, alright. We'll start the adult shit tomorrow." He nodded. "Not puttin' her away?" Guzma asked, nodding at Dolly who had followed them up onto the mattress and assumed loaf-form at Hana's side.  
  
"Mind if I leave her out?" Hana asked, absently trailing her fingers through the creatures fur.  
  
"Nah, she's a'ight." He chuckled.  
  
"Good." She grinned, clinking her bottle against his.  
  
"Uh... where's Li at?" Guzma asked, having not seen her partner-turned-bodyguard for a while.  
  
"He's having a rest, I don't feel like I need him watching over me when you're here." Hana smiled.  
  
"Yeah?" He teased, flashing her a wide grin. "Sure it's not just coz he hates me?"  
  
"Li doesn't hate anyone, well... anyone you know. I don't think he likes being in such a small place anyway." She shrugged.  
  
"So what, you wanna get drunk and talk about our problems?" Guzma asked.  
  
"Sure." She replied quickly, unsure if it was a good idea.  
  
"Guess there no point holding off." He sighed.  
  
“Mhmm." Hana nodded.  
  
Guzma took a deep breath and let it out slowly, swirling the liquid in the bottle and wondered where to start.  
  
"So... my Dad's a drunk, if something pisses him off, he beats the crap out of me and my Mom." He said finally, his head hung low. "Put us both in hospital more times than I count."  
  
Hana stared in disbelief, bringing her fist up to her mouth and clenching her teeth. Guzma glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, shaking his head slightly and when she said nothing, he continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what's coming, next chapter will cover Guzma's past or at least my interpretation of it.


	12. Authors note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus!

So this next chapter has been hell because I wanted to be careful how I handled it. It's almost done so please accept my apologies for the lateness, you can expect it in a few days after I've finished up the editing process :D


	13. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, I really don't like what I've written so far

I'm really sorry for the hiatus, I'm not happy with what I've got to work with so far so this might take a while to get back up and running. Really sorry for anyone who was following intently and hoping id be churning out chapters like I used to, can't apologise enough.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want a squeaky clean protagonist who always does the right thing because it's the right thing to do, then this story isn't for you.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Not what you expected](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930669) by [Hannah_Shark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannah_Shark/pseuds/Hannah_Shark)




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